Adventures of a Pet Rabbit
by LegancyZ
Summary: Loki decides Ais needs to relax a bit and gets her drunk. Bell Cranel is pulled into the middle of it all. Rated T for now.
1. Drunken Adventure

**Alright, you little nuggets, it seems you like word counts a lot so here's a long ass story. Also note, halfway through writing this I realized there's a similar story with Lefiya being drunk and it's not an original idea so...Alexa play despacito.**

* * *

The pub known as The Hostess of Fertility was packed to the brim on a particular evening. The folk merrily laughed their worries away after a hard day's work. There was a pleasant feeling about the place as the female waiters delivered food and drinks with a smile and the adventurers ate with a smile. Near the back of the bar sat two people who were the topic of discussion of the bar.

"No," Ais said for about the tenth time that evening. The Level 5 adventurer of the Loki Familia had brought her goddess to the bar because she had been nagging her for just the two of them to go.

"C'mon Aizu." Loki, the Goddess of Mischief, egged one of her favourite members on. She had made Ais come here so that she could relax a bit after all the rigorous training she had been doing over the past month.

The blonde adventurer, however, was not having it.

"I almost killed you last time." Ais reminded the red-haired goddess who just laughed it off. The goddess slightly trembled at the memory but her concern for Ais decided it could stand a bit of a chase from a sword-wielding drunk.

"Ohhhhh! It's no big deal. Just a little bit to calm you down, c'mon missy!" Loki tried again, Ais's instant rejections were starting to get on her nerves but she would not go down without a fight.

Ais had been coming home exhausted every day from training and she could see it starting to take a toll on the girl with her eyelids becoming darker from lack of sleep, the goddess really wanted to cheer her up even if it meant being chased by a sword-wielding drunk.

"No," Ais replied again, she just did not want an alcoholic drink.

"Ok fine, just have something!" Loki said in slight agitation.

Ais had not had anything touch her lips since she entered the bar while Loki had 9 empty mugs sitting in front of her.

"Alright, fine," Ais said with a sigh, she didn't want to upset her goddess any more than she already had.

"Now order something while I go talk to Mia," Loki said, as she got up from her seat, unbeknownst to Ais was that Loki still had one trick up her sleeve, spiking Ais's dinner.

"Heeeeyyyyy Mia!" Loki approached the dwarven owner of the pub with an overly cheerful attitude.

"Hello Loki, need anything? I'm a bit busy right now." Mia noticed the goddess's unusual way of greeting but feigned innocence as she pointed out the overly full building.

"Oh no problem, I just need a quick little favour," Loki said with a mischievous grin earning one back in kind.

"I need you to add something...strong in whatever Ais orders." She leaned closer to Mia and spoke in a whisper, "I'm sure the Familia bank won't miss a few thousand valises."

At the mention of money, Mia instantly agreed. "Alright, how strong do you need it?"

Loki thought for a minute before replying, "Enough to make her stop thinking for the night." At that, Mia thought for a minute before finally nodding.

"I've got just the thing," Mia said as she pulled out an old, worn-down bottle from the shelves behind her. "This stuff is transparent and odourless so it'll slip into practically anything.

A red flag went off in Loki's head, she needed to get herself some of this.

"It's perfect!" Loki exclaimed. Ais had been so focused on training lately that whenever she came home tired, she'd just eat whatever had been given to her without batting an eye and it was in her luck that Ais had been training earlier in the day.

"Chloe!" Mia called out to the Cat Person that had just taken Ais's order on a notepad.

"Here!" Chloe replied in a chirpy demeanour, "What do you need?"

Mia handed Chloe the small bottle, "Add this to Ais Wallenstein's food."

Chloe looked up at Mia sceptically then at the grinning Loki giving her a thumbs up.

"Ok?"

* * *

Ais sighed as her food arrived. She had ordered some pasta along with a glass of water as it was the cheapest thing on the menu and she wasn't really in the mood to eat anything.

As she started to dig in, her head was hit with a spell of dizziness and she shakily got up to talk to Loki.

"I'm…going out for some fresh air." Ais managed to say as her head spun and her vision grew fuzzy.

"Yeah, sure whatever." Loki was not paying attention to the girl.

She was in the middle of a heated discussion with another patron of the bar regarding her breast size and Loki no-boobs was not going down without a fight.

Ais stepped outside onto the busy street with everything violently spinning, she tried to stay upright by standing still on the street but as she collides with someone, her mind begins to deteriorate and the last thing she remembers is red eyes.

* * *

Bell Cranel wandered the streets of Orario in a gloom. He had thought that living the life of an adventurer was going to be easy. He would join a Familia, get rich and famous, save a girl in a dungeon and they would fall in love but he had already run into a brick wall. No one would accept him into their Familia.

As he walked aimlessly, he mentally sorted through his finances. He couldn't become an adventurer without a deity's blessing so he had to save up the money he had brought from his hometown. He walked past street after street, not really paying attention to where he was going.

Thus, with a _thud,_ Bell accidentally collided with someone who was standing still on the street. The person in question had fallen on top of Bell.

"Oh, I'm so..." Bell was at a loss for words. A blonde-haired girl had fallen on top of him, her slender body wrapped in his arms. Her body was pressed again his and her hair was spread over his arm. Her face was red and her eyes looked a little hazy. As she glanced up at him between heavy breaths, Bell's throat went dry and his heart started pounding unnaturally. Her face had an aloof expression that he found irresistibly cute and their current position was doing nothing to help. His face had turned as red as hers and he felt like he could stay like that forever.

Noticing the weird glances directed towards them, Bell let go of the girl and got up. "A-are you alright?" He said while trying to hide his face in his sleeve from embarrassment. The girl stared up at him for a good minute before finally speaking.

"Bunny?"

"Huh?" Bell had not expected her to make a comment on his appearance making him forget his embarrassment. He resented comments on his resemblance to rabbits as he felt it was an unjust comparison, surely Bunny-humes were more in the category than him.

"Big...bunny" The girl slurred, Bell realized this was exactly what his grandfather would act like when he was drunk and he connected the dots.

"Miss, you shouldn't be out here in this condition." He said with concern in his voice.

The girl got to her feet and stumbled toward Bell. She accidentally hit her head on Bell's torso and let it stay there, "I want a big bunny!" She whined into his chest.

"M-miss, w-what's your name? Do you live nearby?" Bell ignored the fluttering in his stomach and hoped he could get her off the street.

"Ai-uz Wallensteen" She replied drunkenly as she continued to try to snuggle into his chest while Bell tried to hold her off with one hand. As the glancing and whispering of the people on the street at them were starting to get to him.

'Oh shit!' Bell thought as he remembered where he had heard the name before, it belonged to a First Class Adventurer of the Loki Familia. That meant if he was going to take Ais back to her home, he would have to take her to The Twilight Manor. A place he didn't have the greatest experience with.

He had accidentally spilt water on the person at the Familia registration table and had been told never to come back lest he be cut in two by an angry human adventurer named Raul.

He had thought it was an honest mistake but having a threat coming at you from a Level 4 adventurer didn't leave him much room to argue.

Bell decided to swallow the fear for his own life to help the drunk, stumbling girl.

"Let's take you to your home," Bell told Ais who was leaning against a wall now.

"Yeey, Bunny's gonna give me a ride!" Ais said as she tried to climb onto Bell's back.

"E-excuse me, WHAT!?" Bell said as he tried to stop her but it was too late, she was already on his back.

"Let's goooooo!" She said as Bell let out a sigh and let it be.

* * *

Loki sat crying in at the counter of The Hostess of Fertility with one of the other deities trying to comfort her.

"Sure, it's a little flat but overall but…. it's about the personality!" The god said in his best effort to try to cheer her up.

"Y-yeah" Loki sniffled, "She got nothing on me besides those filthy meat sacks."

Feeling a little better, she looked around to find Ais. She had had enough breast abuse for one day and wanted to leave only to realize something.

"Where's Ais?"

Realizing she had lost a drunk Level 5 adventurer, panic spread through her system.

"OHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNOOHNO!" She said as she searched for her swordswoman.

She started rambling as she asked people to her left and right as to whether they had seen the girl.

Soon her search led her out the bar.

"Oh yeah!" A random passerby on the street said, "I saw her on a kid's back, I swear he looked just like a rabbit."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Bell tried to ignore the judging gazes of the people of Orario as he piggybacked the Level 5 Sword Princess to her home in the northern district of the city.

"Is that Ais Wallenstein?"

"God damn! I wish I was as lucky as that kid."

"Did he drug her?"

"Awwww, he looks like a cute little rabbit."

Bell didn't hear what they were saying since he had zoned everything out to keep from letting tears spill. Though he wouldn't admit it, Bell cared a lot about what people thought about him and this wasn't helping improve his reputation.

"Go faaaaster!" Ais said from her position on Bell's back as she slapped his head.

Bell took a second to think about why he was doing this. He had accidentally bumped into a random stranger and was now getting them home his back. He knew the reason but he just didn't want to admit it.

Bell sped up as much as he could without dropping Ais.

He was nearing the Twilight Manor now and a pit of despair entered his stomach at the thought of what the Loki Familia would do to him if they thought he had done something to Ais. They were people who could kill him with a flick of their wrist and that sent chills down his spine but he wasn't going to leave a girl all alone on the street.

As the manor came into view, he felt a queasy feeling pass through his body.

"We're here!" Bell told the girl, hoping she would get off and make the last walk into the manor by herself. Unfortunately, Lady Fate wasn't very benevolent that night.

"Les go in!" Bell was taken aback by her blind trust in him. He was confused as to why she neither scrutinized nor suspected his intentions. Perhaps it was the alcohol? Then her rank and status came to mind. She was a high ranked and respected citizen of Orario who was among the strongest at Level 5. Didn't she care for her image as she had been drunk in the middle of the city?

"C'mon big bunny!" Ais slapped his head again without moving her head where it was rested in the crook of his neck. He had stopped blushing a long time ago and now was just embarrassed that he was letting someone this drunk walk all over him.

As he walked up to the gate, fear started creeping in as he remembered Raul's words. He set Ais down in front of the gate when he saw someone approaching from afar and turned to leave but was stopped when a ridiculously strong hand stopped him in his tracks. He had not seen this much power when he had been slapped by her on the head but now her Level 5 strength was truly revealed to Bell.

"Nooooooooo, don't go big bunny!" Ais whined as she held his hand and the pain of resisting was too much to handle so he was stopped in his tracks.

He soon saw an elf approaching the gate and he suddenly weighed whether he was afraid of Raul more or this newcomer.

"MISS AIZ, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!? WHO ARE YOU!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!? I SWEAR IF YOU DID ANYTHING...", "Lefiya, that's enough!"

A voice that was not nearly as loud but twice as powerful said, it was a high elf. Bell could tell because he was feeling a something similar to when he had seen one at the Guild but Bell snapped out of his thoughts because he would definitely not want to be on her bad side.

"M-m-miss R-r-riveria!" The first blonde haired elf said with all her previous energy gone at the appearance of the green-haired high elf. "Why are you yelling so loud this late?"

"T-there's a boy and he was carrying Miss Ais on his back so I..." Lefiya tried to form a proper argument for her shouting earning an annoyed look from Riveria. The high-elf then looked at Bell and he felt as though her gaze went right through his soul.

"I found her drunk on the street and took her here." Bell tried to defend himself but he quickly found that his reasoning was as bad as the other elf's. "Damnit Loki!" Riveria started in anger and then she stopped for a moment before asking, "And she let you take her here?" The elf asked in surprise, Bell nodded vigorously. "She's the one who jumped on my back wanting a ride in the first place," he told the elf who had a perplexed expression.

Ais who had been standing silent leaning against the wall now spoke up, "I found a big bunny, can I keep him please?" She spoke childishly to the elf who just let out a laugh confusing Bell and Lefiya. "Even when drunk, she still retains her identification of who is who and wouldn't just trust anyone and you seem like a good kid to me. Could you kindly bring her in?"

Guilt flooded Bell's system as he realized the only reason he had been allowed to carry her was that he was trusted and he had been think of all sorts of wild things.

Bell hesitantly nodded still afraid of Raul lurking somewhere and helped Ais through the gates while Lefiya was glaring daggers at him.

* * *

"AIZU! AIZU! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Loki was in tears as she ran trying to find Ais, Riveria was going to be pissed.

* * *

If the mansion looked huge from the outside, it was colossal on the inside and Bell couldn't even begin to comprehend how much everything must have cost as he looked around wide-eyed while Lefiya just scoffed at him.

"Her room's on the second floor to the left." Riveria said as she made to leave.

"WAIT!? You're just trusting me/him with her?" Bell and Lefiya asked in unison while Ais giggled in the background.

Riveria just sighed, "I'm too tired for this and if you try anything, you'll be dead before you know it." The statement made Lefiya calm down while Bell began to sweat drop.

Riveria left the room after that so Bell helped Ais walk to her room with Lefiya tailing behind. After a few minutes of trying to get a drunk Ais up the stairs, they finally arrived in front of her room.

"Well, this has been an eventful night. I'll go now." Bell said wanting to leave as soon as possible. Lefiya nodded in agreement and as they turned to leave Bell was once again stopped by Ais's herculean strength.

"Noooooo, I wanna cuddle big rabbit to sleep!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Bell's face became indistinguishable from a tomato while Lefiya looked like someone had shot an arrow straight through her.

"Miss Ais, that would be..." He couldn't finish the sentence as he was pulled into the room by Ais. Lefiya moved to stop this but Ais just brushed her aside and with an "It's myyyyy bunny, get your ownnnnnn." locked the door shut.

"M-MISS W-WALLENSTEIN, WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Bell asked in horror but was cut off by Ais dragging him to her bed and laying down with him lying in front of her.

"M-MISS..." He was cut off by Ais tightly hugging him from behind and forcing all the wind out of his system. He could practically hear his grandfather laughing at him right now.

Ais nuzzled her face into his back and fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Bell struggled against her grip but to no avail causing him to eventually give up. Truthfully, he was very comfortable but he wouldn't ever admit it. As a spell of drowsiness started taking over, he hoped nobody would wake him up too early so before he was killed by the hands of Lefiya, he could enjoy this as much as he could.

* * *

 **I wrote this in 7 hours, I've ascended Super Saiyan 9000. Also 3k words, Jesus.**


	2. The Morning After

**Guys, there's a poll up about whether you want me to update this story or my other on called 'Is it wrong to want an education?'. I can only do one at a time so go check it out. Alright, review replies.**

 **er kebbabaro: The** **power of ultra instinct will be on the day that I write 5k words.**

 **naty: Gracias**

 **psychominer: Well, all Loki Familia stories that are currently active besides mine are over 10k so *shrug***

 **Killerbull27: Unfortunately this story is not a crossover with Overlord so no Ainz but I will show Ais's reaction. I was gonna show Bell's slipping out without Ais finding out but since you insisted.**

 **USAthroughout: Oh shit, um...hi. It's an honor to meet you.**

 **derpslurp: I won't just leave Bell in a situation like that.**

 **Argonauts Curse: Well this is the morning after being drunk and I'm pretty sure those are not fun.**

 **Reviews are always appreciated, they really help boost my morale while writing these.**

 **Now you guys are out of the way, here's another chapter.**

* * *

Ais awoke groggily with a headache, although her Level 5 status helped her against many things, hangovers were not one of them. She noticed her left arm stuck underneath something and as her vision cleared a mop of white hair came into view. Instantly her adventurer senses kicked in as she prepared for a fight but it went away as soon as she saw what was in front of her.

A white-haired boy was sleeping peacefully on top of her arm with him being slightly snuggled into it. He had a small smile on his lips as he peacefully let out cute little snores, his cheek was tainted with a slight hue of red giving him more of a child-like innocence. Her face started to heat up after noticing how close the boy and she gently stroked his hair with her free hand and was surprised by how smooth and relaxing it was. She realized what she was doing after about ten minutes and stopped her caressing with a beet-red face.

She gently slipped her hand from under the snoozing boy so as not to wake up; she decided he was harmless, and ignoring the annoyed feeling she had at the loss of comfort, she tried to remember what had last happened. She remembered her Goddess insisting on her having a drink, ordering food and then getting really heavy headed before leaving the bar only to collide into someone. It was just like the last time she was...drunk.

She noticed she was still wearing the clothes she had worn to the bar and sighed as it only confirmed her suspicions, Loki. Ais got changed into a set of her usual white clothing and with one last look at the peacefully sleeping body of the boy, she left the room.

Unknownst to her, a red-faced Bell Cranel was having troubles breathing. He had woken up at the same time Ais had started undressing and it had taken every bit of strength in him to keep his eyes shut. He was probably already on the Loki Familia's hit list, no need for another offense.

* * *

The Loki Familia's most elite members were awoken early in the morning by a distraught Lefiya. Gareth, Riveria, and Finn all stumbled out of their rooms rubbing their eyes as Lefiya sat crying at their feet. Finn looked at the crying elf girl with concern, Gareth looked disinterested and Riveria just seemed annoyed.

"Lefiya, what's wrong?" Finn asked, the only of the trio who showed even a shred of care towards the Level 4 Adventurer. "M-m-m-miss A-aiz!" Lefiya tried through tears to form a sentence but it wasn't possible and she broke into long, ugly sobs. From the condition of her eyes, it seemed she had been crying all night.

"Is this about the boy?" Riveria asked with absolutely no concern, she had grown used to her friend's daughter coming to her crying whenever a matter with Ais Wallenstein was concerned. So what if Ais had shown some sympathy or kindness to another being, she didn't care.

At the mention of a boy, Gareth and Finn looked at Riveria with a little more interest. Anything was better than a crying girl right after waking up.

Noticing the gazes of her fellow members, she retold the events that had taken place at the gate and how she suspected Loki to be behind it then she explained how she had told him and Lefiya to take Ais to her room and left.

"THAT'S THE PROBLEM!" Lefiya roared from every inch of her body. She got up from the floor and continued, "MISS AIZ TOOK THE BOY TO HER ROOM AND LOCKED THE DOOR!"

"I would be more worried for the boy." Riveria calmly spoke, the confused looks from everyone present made her explain, "Ais is a Level 5 Adventurer, the boy probably isn't even Level 2. Ais was drunk beyond all saving, I'd be surprised if she didn't cuddle him to death. I don't suspect either of them to try anything, honestly."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT WITH SUCH CONVICTION!?" Lefiya yelled recovering from another sobbing fit. The thought of Miss Ais cuddling someone to sleep made her want to blow the entire place up and the fact that it seemed Miss Riveria somewhat trusted the boy was unimaginably infuriating.

Her question was left unanswered as Ais walked into the hallway in which the four of them currently were. Noticing Ais, Lefiya started rambling at the feet of the Sword Princess.

"MISSAIZAREYOUOKAYDIDHEDOANYTHINGTOYOUISWEARIFHESOMUCHASTOUCHEDYOU"

Ais looked perplexed at the eyesore of an elf at her feet, she decided to ignore her and turned towards Riveria. "Who's the boy sleeping in my room?"

Riveria let out a sigh and explained how the boy had brought her back to the mansion when she was drunk and how she kept jumping on his back and calling him Big Bunny. Ais's normally stoic face turned beet red in embarrassment as she listened to how she had acted. "But why was he..." Ais began only to be interrupted by Lefiya, "BECAUSE YOU DRAGGED HIM IN AND SLAMMED THE DOOR ON MY FACE!"

At the commotion, other familia members began to come out of their rooms to see what was happening. Tione walked into the middle of the small group and stifled yawn. "What's going on?" She asked after another long yawn was finished. "Ais brought a boy home." Riveria lightly teased Ais who was still trying to recover from earlier. At this, Tione looked at Ais with a gobsmacked expression and more and more familia members had started to gather confused on what was happening.

Ais's inner child couldn't stand the embarrassment anymore and ran out of the hallway with two things in mind. First, to punch The Goddess Of Mischief on the face and second, apologize to the boy who had selflessly brought her home for her behavior. But another question came to mind, where was Loki?

* * *

"A-i-z-u" A hungry, exhausted, distraught and sleep deprived redhead called as she slowly moved towards the Twilight Manor, she was going to have to admit that she had lost Ais and she had probably been kidnapped by a white-haired boy.

* * *

Bell got up from the bed after it had been a good few minutes after Ais had left the room. As he examined the room he noticed how minimalistic the whole place was, it was very simple. The only things inside her room were a desk, a bed, and a curtain over the window. With only a few personal belongings the room felt like it belonged to someone who didn't care about much of the material possessions.

He snapped himself out of his thoughts by realizing he was taking note of a stranger's room, 'I need to stop being so creepy.' He made his way to the door and quietly opened and closed it, he ran as light-footed and quick as a rabbit - doing nothing to fix his image - to the entrance.

Lo and behold, right there at the entrance was a crying Red-haired Goddess being comforted by none other than Raul Nord.

"Oh shit," Bell instantly realized the fact that he hadn't so much as asked Ais whether she was with someone when he had taken her home and they might have gotten the impression he might have forcefully taken her.

The moment Loki saw him, she went frantic while Raul's eyes went wide in recognition and anger as his Goddess babbled in his ears. While this was happening, Bell realized Raul didn't look as scary as the last time he had met him, in fact, he just looked...plain.

Unfortunately for Bell, Raul was still a Level 4 adventurer regardless of his looks. As Raul neared him, he could only think of one thing to do, RUN!

Bell turned tail and ran inside the mansion as fast as he could, he prayed to whatever Rabbit Deity lived on Tenkai and Gekai that he'd never be embarrassed by his looks ever again, just give him enough agility to run away from Raul, just enough to get out of the mansion.

Unfortunately, It seemed Tu'er Shen wasn't in the greatest of moods as in under a minute, Raul was nearly touching him. He didn't know a thing of where he was going he just ran. Soon a large door came in front of him and hoping it was an exit and one last burst of speed, he crashed into them.

He skidded to a stop in front of a pair of thin, childlike feet, as he raised his head he was met by the face of Finn 'Braver' Deimne. Bell dropped his head with a sigh of defeat, this is how he would die, bringing someone drunk home.

"SOME...ONE S-STOP HIM!" An out of breath Raul rushed into the dining hall with a sobbing Loki not far behind.

Everyone stopped their dining at the entrance of the unknown person being chased by their Goddess and one of their Second Class Adventurers.

"Riveria, is this the boy you were talking about?" Finn asked noticing the boy's unusual hair that was mentioned in Riveria's recounting of last night's events.

"YES! IT'S HIM! HAVE HIM EXECUTED!" Lefiya instantly went into bloody murder mode and jumped from her seat while the other familia members besides Tione and Gareth looked on in confusion.

"Oh, tis' the youngling who brought Ais home?" Gareth asked wanting to confirm the identity of the stranger on their floor.

"Yes," Riveria said not really paying attention as she ate her food in silence.

The table went alight with conversation while an exhausted Loki instantly did a 180-degree turn on her face, "He didn't kidnap her?" She asked sceptically as she had spent all night trying to find Ais's supposed kidnapper.

"No, in fact, he brought her home after you got her drunk and now she's probably off trying to find you, also you and I will have a talk later," Riveria said nonchalantly from her seat not looking up while she ate her breakfast. Loki slightly sweated at Riveria's demeanour as unknownst to new members, this meant she was actually really angry.

Bell who was still lying at Finn's feet looked up at the conversation happening as he realized he wasn't in immediate danger. Raul who had been standing in the doorway spoke up, "But he...spilled water on me..." His voice slowly got lower as his argument's weakness came to him while his familia members all gave him a look.

Finn lent a hand to Bell so he could get up. "By the way, we never found out your name?" Bell instantly reddened realizing he had asked Ais her name and took her home but never once told her his name.

"Bell Cranel"

"Well Bell Cranel, I would like to thank you for bringing our Kenki safely back," Finn said with genuine gratitude, the memory of a drunk Ais causing trouble all over Orario was very painful both physically and mentally.

"N-no problem." Bell was slightly intimidated by being praised by a High-Class Adventurer and his face was getting redder by the minute. Another Adventurer would've dubbed him Tomato Boy had he been present.

"Can someone please explain what's happening?" Tiona chimed in from her seat beside Tione and Loki who had recently sat down; the latter was wolfing food down like there was no tomorrow. Tione began to recount what Riveria had told her. "Ais brought a boy home."

"What familia do you belong to?" Finn continued his conversation while unknown to him, Lefiya was making murder gestures at Bell behind his back while everyone other person sitting at the table just sat silently in bewildered confusion.

"None?" Bell said with shame seeping into his voice. He had completely forgotten the reason he had been carelessly walking last night. He was familia-less and nearly money-less. "No one actually accepted me into their familias," Bell said sheepishly. A scoff was sounded from the table, presumably Lefiya.

"Did you apply here?" Finn asked curiously as to why he hadn't seen his application if he had actually applied here.

"Well, I tried but I wasn't allowed to hand in my application." Bell honestly told the Prum. The memory of a much scarier Raul was still fixed into his mind as he threatened to murder him.

"Why was that?" Finn questioned, his thumb didn't give him the impression that this rabbit would do something bad enough to warrant his application unacceptable.

Instead of replying, Bell shot a side glance at Raul who was just standing there awkwardly. "He... spilt water on...me?" Raul tried to provide a valid reason for his behaviour to his captain.

In fairness to Raul, he had to sit outside the gates of the Mansion on a wood table in the scorching sun while he accepted applications for new members so when someone comes up and elbows your water all over your paperwork and lap, you have at least 3 reasons to get mad.

Finn pondered for a moment before getting an idea, "How about you have an entry test for joining the familia?" Finn didn't know what it was but he liked the kid and wanted him to stay.

Bell looked bewildered at the prospect of joining a Famila and instantly agreed. "Yes, alright!" He said excitedly while Gareth who had been stroking his beard in contemplation asked Finn, "What ya got in mind?" as Lefiya slowly died in the background and the other members got excited at the idea of a new member.

Finn looked Bell dead in the eyes and spoke, "You have to strike a blow against me in combat." Bell gulped realizing that this was not going to be a fun match.

* * *

Bell and Finn were now standing face to face half a meter away from each other on the familia's courtyard. The familia members who didn't have to go to the dungeon that particular day, meaning the ones who had gone to the expedition; excluding Ais and one more member, were gathered to see the match.

"Do you think he can do it?" Line Arshe, the Level 2 Supporter/Healer of the Loki Familia asked Rakta, a Hume-Bunny member who had recently become Level 3.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Lefiya chimed into the conversation with her voice being just slightly louder than necessary.

Gareth began the countdown to the fight in a booming voice.

"THREE!" Bell clumsily took the spare daggers that had been provided to him in his hands, not knowing how to properly use them.

"TWO!" Finn stifled a laugh at Bell's stance as he readied a spear that had been lying around, his other spears would be too much for the falna-less boy to handle.

"ONE!" Bell visually hardened as he knew of the strength of a First Class Adventurer first hand, he spent the night being cuddled by one.

"FIGHT!" Bell bolted at Finn with daggers held the wrong way earning a laugh from the other members gathered.

Finn lunged the spear at Bell who tried to dodge it but still got cut in the arm. Bell quickly got up much to the surprise of Finn and dashed at him with the daggers.

Finn dodged and hit the blunt side of the spear on Bell's hands, making him drop his weapons. Bell quickly backed away with his injured hands and tried to think of a strategy.

'I just need to hit him once, there's no need to unnecessarily get hurt.' Bell thought as kept his distance from The Prum.

Finn realizing Bell's plan dashed towards him but Bell, much to the surprise of everyone, started running towards him.

"That fool!" Anakitty Autumn spoke. The Level 4 Cat Person was sure that the rabbit in front of her was going to be defeated.

Finn seeing Bell's strategy got his spear ready with a frown on his face as he thought he was sure Bell wasn't that careless. His thoughts were interrupted by the throbbing of his thumb, that wasn't good at all.

Bell rushed in at Finn but instead of trying to punch him, he went past him. "He's trying to avoid me," Finn concluded; however, his thumb didn't agree with him. He was proven wrong in a second when the moment Bell passed him, he spun around while still moving forward, ducked below Finn's spear that was swiped in his direction and delivered a punch straight into Finn's back.

A loud _crack_ echoed across the courtyard as Bell's eyes began to tear up. A silence went over the crowd for a good minute before it was interrupted by Gareth chuckling, "He's got spirit, that one!" Gareth told Finn who just nodded.

"You alright, Bell?" Finn asked the boy who was kneeling on the floor. Bell looked up at Finn tear-filled eyes before a loud scream echoed across the courtyard, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Bell sat shirtless on a stool in Loki's quarters as she drew her falna on him, giving him her blessing.

His bandaged arm was still in pain but he tried to ignore it by instead focusing his attention on the room.

Her quarters were more like an assemblage of random items rather than a living space. Bottles of many types of wine and liquor were all over the place. The bottles themselves came in many sizes and shapes, as well as colors. It was impossible not to see five or six of them in each corner of the room, some of which were open.

An expensive-looking pen and the crystal reflecting seven colors of light sat on top of her desk. A bizarre assortment of old shoes and hats decorated her walls. Spots and shelves not occupied by wine bottles held thick books or small blades like daggers and knives. Loki must've been in the middle of reorganizing because her bed was absently covered with pieces of literature and weapons. It wouldn't be surprising if one or two extremely rare items were lurking in the pile.

"Ya know, I really am grateful!" The Goddess interrupted the silence, "For bringing Ais home, if ya hadn't, Riveria would've had my head." She soon followed with a quiet murmur which Bell couldn't hear, "Now she'll only have half of it,"

"Oh, no problem," Bell spoke nonchalantly, the event had been explained to everyone so there was no need to be afraid of anyone going after him, except maybe Lefiya.

"By the way," Bell started slightly getting red in the face, "Where is Miss Ais?" He hadn't seen her in the morning nor at the fight so he was assumed she had gone to the dungeon.

At this Loki spoke with a slightly solemn tone, "I was told she went'a looking for me but eventually went to the dungeon."

"Wait a minute," Bell said suddenly piecing together why the members were after Loki. "Goddess, did you get Ais drunk?" If that was the case, he would've made a false assumption about Ais getting drunk herself and another rush of guilt filled him.

"Now that's none of your business is it?" Loki said flicking Bell's ears signifying her being done with the falna. "Besides, I heard from an angry elf that someone spent all night in her room."

Bell coughed in embarrassment as his face reddened, "C'mon, let me show ya your room" Loki said as they got up. They made their way out of the room and began descending the spiral staircase.

Light and noises from the city outside passed by every time they stepped in front of a window. They walked through the dim hallways alone. Walking past all other doors, Bell realized they were in the same corridor as Ais's room.

Sensing Bell's thoughts, Loki spoke up. "Yar neighbors now.", "Wait, WHAT!?" Bell nearly blew Loki's eardrums out. Loki covered her ears and gave the rabbit a look which he returned with a sheepish smile, "Sorry,"

They arrived at the room right beside Ais's. As they stepped in front of the door, Loki elbowed him in the ribs and said with a somewhat menacing tone, "Don't ya try anything funny now." Bell held his sides as Loki gave him a wink and began to head back to her own room.

Bell entered his new room and saw that its layout was exactly the same as Ais's, his suitcase which had been kept at a hotel had been called for and was sitting neatly beside his bed.

Bell changed into something more comfortable and flopped down onto the bed. "I did it grandpa! I've taken my first step towards being an adventurer." And with a smile still plastered on his face, he fell asleep.

* * *

 **OOF, OOF, OOF, This was even longer than the first one. I had to keep so much stuff in mind, Loki's accent, Ais's air-headedness, etc. It was so annoying. Then there was the fight scene, it was my first time writing one so gimme a break. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed. Don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you all next time, Bye.**


	3. Love

**This is not my best work, just needed to get this chapter out of the way. The good stuff comes later. I've rewritten this chapter 3 times and I'm glad it's over.**

 **Hey guys, you guys voted for this story in the poll; only this story, so I have delivered. GG me. Also if you guys want be to keep uploading more chapters, don't forget to review.**

 **First of all, review replies.**

 **psychominer: you know what would be funny to read while still making sense? have bete** **be bells trainer since he is also an agility fighter(its 2 ranks above his second highest stat) i** **haven't seen anyone capitalize on this. plus it would be funny to see either bete** **adopt him as a little brother(since they actually look like they could be) or just be a tsundere trainer.**

 _ **Intellectual LegancyZ: Hmmm no.**_

 **Guest:** **Thanks for another chapter. I really enjoy the story so far. Keep doing your best. Also, shouldn't the scary Level 4 member with a nasty temper be Bete instead of Raul? I was just curious and confused since the Raul I am familiar with is more meek and cowardly.**

 _ **Absolute Madlad LegancyZ: First of all, I'm glad to see you're enjoying the story and I hope you continue to do so, now Raul being scary was Bell's misconception, he was tired from standing under the sun waiting in line for so long and so was Raul sitting at the desk so when Bell spilled the water, he got pretty pissed and since he's a Level 4, Bell didn't have much time to analyze him before being threatened.**_

 **Lordlexx: I'd prefer you continued this one. Sadface for no Loli Big Boobs, but you can't win em all.**

 _ **Badass LegancyZ: Well, there are always cameos.**_

 **Killerbull27: I think the fight scene was good I could visualize the fight pretty clearly (Finn had spidy** **sence** **), hahaha did not realize I wrote ainz** **instead of aiz** **hahahaha** **, another long chapter great job very well written plz keep it up.**

 _ **Overlord LegancyZ: Well it was more of his adventurer intuition and Bell was fighting like a complete NOOB.**_

 **ReanDrean: Does Lefiya have to be so annoying?**

 _ **Super Saiyan LegancyZ: Yes.**_

 **Also, guys, I do try to reread my chapters and fix any mistakes I have, If you find any, just leave it in a review or PM me and I'll fix it.**

* * *

 _ **Bell Cranel**_

 _ **Level 1**_

 _ **•Strength: I-0**_

 _ **•Endurance: I-0**_

 _ **•Dexterity: I-0**_

 _ **•Agility: I-0**_

 _ **•Magic: I-0**_

Bell stared at the piece of paper holding his status with a smile, he was finally an adventurer about to start his journey. Only one problem remained, he didn't know anything about anything and was now heading to the guild to learn Adventuring 101; you could only know so much from stories.

About thirty members of the Loki Familia had gone to the lower floors nearly two weeks ago including the strongest members like Ais and Finn and would be returning in the afternoon. No one at home meant no one could explain how any of this worked and the other members just scoffed at him for some reason.

His Goddess had told him to wait for some time and get used to being in the Familia before going to the guild and become an adventurer and he had patiently waited for two weeks, now was the time for adventure.

Bell entered the building and headed straight and had a quick look around, there were sofas near the entrance where Adventurers would presumably sit down to wait for their turns and relax for a bit, there were several window counters each with an unusually attractive woman in it.

He looked at the counters to see which one he should go to and found one with no one in it, there was a half-elf behind it sorting paperwork on her desk.

She had a pair of slender pointy ears and clear emerald-coloured eyes. Her shoulder-length brown hair had a beautiful sheen. This beautiful appearance is not the same type as the elves that seemed to be pure and flawless, but rather a natural type. She was wearing a guild uniform on her slim body, a black top pants of the same colour, making her extremely beautiful.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, an image of a drunk redfaced blonde falling on top of it quickly countered it and he shook his head to get those thoughts out of his head. He didn't know why it had come to mind but it had eradicated all other thoughts, he couldn't have that right now, he needed to focus.

He approached the empty counter and rang the bell. She looked up from her paperwork and was momentarily caught off-guard at the appearance of the person in front of her. "Um hello, I'd like to be an adventurer." The boy spoke in a childish manner that made her want to just cuddle him up.

She cleared her head of her thoughts and began, "Ah yes, my name is Eina Tulle, if you could just sign this form." She handed him one of the several papers that were arranged in a huge stack. She had to be quite gentle though as the stack was so unstable that it could collapse at any moment.

Bell filled in the form as quickly as he could and handed it back to Eina who began to read it in a small, gentle tone. "Let's see, Bell Cranel, Human, 14 years old, Level 1, Loki Familia?" Eina asked the last part in confusion. She couldn't believe that the rabbit-like boy in front of her was part of one of Orario's strongest Familias.

"Y-yes?" The boy replied as both an answer and a question. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that...never mind" Eina said disregarding the topic, Ais Wallenstein was a Level 1, 7-year-old when she joined the Loki Familia, it wasn't unheard of.

"Anyways, do you have the funds for the beginner equipment?" She asked changing topics, "Um, hold on." Bell said fumbling around in his pouch before producing the valises given to him by Loki. "Here!" He said as he handed the pouch to Eina who counted it so quickly it left Bell gobsmacked.

"Come with me," Eina said as she put the closed sign on her counter. Bell followed her as she got out of the counter and into the back of the guild which had a wall lined with doors.

They entered a private room with a shelf filled with books, a map of some sorts on the wall and a table with benches on two sides. "Wait here," She told him as she went to get his guild-issued armour and weapon.

After returning she handed it to him and sat down opposite to him, "Now Bell, do you know anything about the dungeon?" She asked him, her job description included many things and being an adviser for Adventurers was one of them.

"Monsters come from there, Adventurers go to fight the monsters that come from there?" Bell said revealing the extent of his knowledge about the dungeon.

Eina let out a sigh, she got up and made her way to the shelf. She grabbed one of the books at the top of the shelf and he gulped at the size of it, it was the biggest book he had ever seen.

"Let's begin," Eina said in a low and stern tone that made him rethink if this was a good idea. His grandfather was not a good teacher and Bell only ever read adventurer stories at home with him so this was his first brush with any proper education.

* * *

As Bell entered the dungeon, he saw most people there making to leave. Obviously, he knew the reason, Eina's headache-inducing lecture had taken until afternoon and she had given him permission to go down until the third floor. As he entered the first floor, an unexpected goblin jumped on him. Remembering his lectures, Bell ducked the goblin's hands and stabbed his stomach instantly killing it.

A small fragment dropped to the floor which Bell picked up with a grin, soon on the second floor he was faced with three Kobolds coming straight for him which he defeated by kicking them to the floor and then stabbing them. On the third floor, Dungeon Lizards suffered the same fate as their monster cousins that had decided to take on the white-haired boy before them. Without realizing it, he was soon on the fourth floor but the thought was pushed to the back of his mind as a group of monsters began to surround him.

Soon, he was panting as he picked up another magic stone fragment and put it in his satchel, he was cut in several places and his injured hand from the fight with Finn was beginning to hurt again. He lay down on the side of a wall to rest for a moment and thought of his next move. He was doing alright with the monsters in the dungeon, the only problem he had was fighting the large groups but he was mostly alright, he just needed to stay away from groups. 'Easy enough, onto the next floor.'

As he explored the latest floor, he noticed something very discomforting. 'There are no monsters?' Bell thought as he practically scanned the whole floor for something to fight. His searching was interrupted by a loud roar echoing across the whole floor. His entire body tensed up at the sound and he frantically turned to see where the voice came from.

"Oooooooorgh!"

"Haaaaaah?"

He looked behind him to see a giant, brown, half-bull and half-man towering beast rushing straight towards him. What happened next even confused the Minotaur, the boy was gone from his sight in seconds and a loud scream was heard from where he had supposedly teleported to. The Level 2 monster rushed after the adventurer.

"Urrrroooooarrrrrrr!"

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee?!"

A roar and a scream echoed across the fifth floor of the labyrinth as two bodies rushed across it. "WHY IS THERE A MINOTAUR ON THE 5TH FLOOR!?" Bell yelled at no one particular, Eina had said that Minotaurs spawned on the fifteenth floor - A testament of her rigorous sessions - and sometimes some monsters ventured a floor up or down but ten floors was a tad much.

"Hoo-hooo…!"

"Waaahhhhhhhh!"

Bell jumped forward to avoid its hoof that came crashing down resulting in a crack forming on the floor and a not so elegant face-plant. As the hoof came down again, he rolled to avoid it and began to scoot himself back only for his back to hit a wall.

All of his thoughts were jumbled as death closed in on him. He looked up its ridiculously muscular body. It had to be at least twice his size. What's worse, it was gloating over him with a clumsy, broken smile.

'In the end, I didn't meet any girls in the dungeon at all. The same fantasies that got me in this mess are running through my head for the last time. Oh look, the Minotaur's hoof is above my head…' Bell thought as the Minotaur prepared for his last attack.

The next moment, a line shot across the creature's torso.

"Huh?"

"Uoohhhh?" The beast sounds as confused as Bell.

The line didn't stop there. It travelled through thick pectoral muscles, across the raised leg, up the thigh, to the shoulders, and finally out the Minotaur's neck.

And so it was that the mighty bull-beast was cut into slabs of meat.

"Guu…? GWWAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa!"

It's dying scream echoed across the floor as it finally puffed out of existence with its magic stone dropping to the floor with a clang.

From behind the smoke, his saviour stood triumphantly.

Her thin body is decorated with light blue clothing.

Even in armour, she radiates feminine beauty.

She stood tall, despite her petite frame. Her bulging twins were packed tightly into a breastplate engraved with a silver emblem. The same emblem graced her wrists and blood-soaked saber. She pointed the glistening blade downward, the blood dripping harmlessly to the floor.

The blond hair hanging down to her waist shined so brightly, it would not lose to any pile of treasure.

Atop a body that any woman would call delicate perched the face of a sweet, young girl.

She looks down at him with golden eyes.

"Are you… okay?" Bell's savior asked with concern and both their eyes go wide at the same time as recognition clicked in.

Ais Wallenstein stared in astonishment at the boy she had found asleep in her room while Bell looks at the drunk girl he had brought home in a new light.

Bell was frightened, ashamed and a little overwhelmed. He was saved by the girl he had hoped was helpless, the one he had romanticized being the hero of. His Level 1 status in front of Ais was nothing, absolutely nothing.

Ais; however, was trying to come up with an apology for her drunk behavior and spilling blood on him but noticed the boy's face start to change between different shades of red.

Before she knew it, the boy got up and ran far away from her while screaming while all she could do was stand their dumbfound.

"Did I scare him away?" She spoke out loud after a moment, the thought of putting her into more of a spiral of depression.

She absolutely had to apologize the next time she met him.

* * *

Bell stepped outside the guild with a sigh, after Eina spent a good fifteen minutes chewing his ears out he was allowed to exchange his magic stone fragments, half of which he had dropped when running from the minotaur and Ais.

He didn't have anything to do so he decided he could get his status checked, most of the other members were gone on that expedition so Loki might have some time.

He made his way to the manor hoping the other members of the expedition - Including Ais - hadn't arrived yet. As he walked the feat of Ais's power kept replaying in his mind. He wanted to catch up to that level, to catch up to her and he promised himself he would.

Once the gates of the Twilight Manor came into sight, he sped up and entered through the front gates.

Once he made his way to Loki's quarters, he let out a sigh of relief that there was no line at the door as there had been when he had wanted his new status written down.

He knocked on the door to which the door instantly opened by a redhaired goddess."I was soooooo bored, I was just bouta leave. Come in!" Loki quickly said as she ushered Bell inside.

"Goddess, I nearly died today and want to get my status updated!" Bell told Loki who just nodded quickly, "Yeah, yeah, remove yer shirt!" The boy was confounded as to his Goddess's behaviour but just let it slide for now as he removed his newly acquired beginner's armor and the shirt beneath it.

"Alright, let's see!" Loki said as she pricked her finger with a knife lying nearby - "Very dangerous," Bell thought to himself. - and had the drop of blood fall on Bell's back.

The red drop sent waves through his body as it sinks in.

"So, nearly died today?" Loki asked remembering the first part of his request.

"Well yeah," Bell said and began recounting the tale of what had happened in the dungeon, including how he had attempted to thank Ais and run away screaming.

Loki heard the story with patience as she tried to stifle a laugh at the end. "Great going kid."

As she checked his status, she suddenly stopped for a minute and let out an inquisitive "Hmmm" at seeing something.

"Oh ho ho ho, WOW." Loki said as she handed him the piece of paper after finishing up.

 _ **Bell Cranel**_

 _ **Level 1**_

 _ **•Strength: I-0 → I-25**_

 _ **•Endurance: I-0 → I-18**_

 _ **•Dexterity: I-0 → I-8**_

 _ **•Agility: I-0 → I-50**_

 _ **•Magic: I-0 → I-0**_

 _ **Magic**_

 _ **( )**_

 _ **Skills**_

 _ **( )**_

"Impressive!" She said as he looked at his agility in disbelief. He should get chased by a minotaur more often.

"Um, Goddess? When do you think I'll be able to use magic?" Bell asked noticing his empty magic slot.

"Even I don't know that. I hear people who can use magic have high intelligence in their excelia… You don't read much, though, do ya, Bell?" Loki asked noticing that the boy wasn't what you call a genius.

"No…" He replied with a red face in embarrassment.

"Goddess, there seems to be something in my Skill slot. It looks like something was erased…"

"Hmm… Oh! Just some ink got on my hand, and it got a tad smudged. It's still open like normal, no worries."

"Just my luck…"

"Well, I have to get ready! The expedition is gonna be back in a while." She said dismissing Bell out of the room.

"Oh...ok, got it, bye!" He said as he put on his clothes and left the room.

Loki looked back down at the paper he had left in the room and swiped her finger on the skill slot revealing a previously hidden skill.

 _ **Skills**_

 _ **Liaris Freese**_

 _ **Rapid Growth**_

 _ **Continued desire results in continued growth**_

 _ **Stronger desire results in stronger growth**_

"Children change so fast… Completely different from us." Loki thought to herself as she looked at the boy's newly acquired skill.

"On that note, probably shouldn't tell him, he doesn't seem like the kind to be able to keep a secret." She concluded at the discovery of the new and undocumented skill. "Aizu huh, kid's got his work cut out for him, he's gotta go against me for one."

* * *

 **I'm so glad this is over, now on to the good stuff next time!**


	4. Foolish Desire

**I AM BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER, GIVE ME ALL YOUR REVIEWS.**

 **I edited the previous chapters so that Ais** **is now Level 5 and hasn't met Revis because I thought of a great Bell/Ais** **moment and I NEED TO WRITE IT. Also, I made a two week time skip between Chapter 2 and 3 so the expedition to the Fifty-Ninth floor makes sense. Stupid Continuity errors.**

 **HEAVY EDITS TO CHAPTER 1 BTW.**

 **First of all, review replies.**

 **iiiiiiiik: thank you so much I was waiting for this**

 **anouther amazing chapter**  
 **on a side note can we please see a jealous aiz**  
 **she never really shows emotion so I think it would be pretty cool to see her jealous**  
 **any who it's your story keep updating ;D**

 ** _Bruv Leganzy: Soon my young padawan. Just gotta develop some character before that._**

 **Guest: Prepare the Popcorn, it's starting to get good.**

 ** _Bosker Leganzy: STARTING!? It was already good, scrub._**

 ** _ON TO THE CHAPTER._**

* * *

Bell was on one of the front balconies of the mansion lazing around after coming home after the Minotaur incident when he spotted a large group of people making their way to the gates.

The expedition party had emerged from the Dungeon and returned to their home. Most of the thirty adventurers were carrying large bags, or dragging them, all the way up to the front gate.

Two guards, a man, and a woman saluted them as they approached.

Finn at the lead said something to the two guards in a gentle manner and they nodded at him then proceeded to pull open the iron fence–like doors.

The plot of land available for their home was long but very thin when construction started. The solution: build up instead of out. This also meant that the front lawn was rather narrow. Members of the Familia used the space as efficiently as possible to grow a wide array of flowers and plants. A light breeze passed through, making the flowers appear to bow to the arriving adventurers.

Finn led his allies through the gate.

When suddenly…

"—Welcome hoooome!" A figure rushed out of the building to greet the adventurers as if it had been waiting for them. A smile began to form on Bell's face, Loki must have really been worried about them.

The smile did not last long as Loki soon launched herself at the girls and had Lefiya; who had been unfortunate enough to not dodge, pinned to the floor as she tried to grope her. He remembered since he had told Loki about Ais saving him she already knew they were all nearly back safe.

The aura that surrounded the deity, making her seem like a trustworthy parent figure, instantly disappeared. It was at times like this that a being who looked perfect by default became ugly enough that humans had to avert their eyes.

His eyes diverted to Ais standing tired and exhausted near the back of the group and guilt rushed to his stomach while embarrassment to his face, he shouldn't have run away from her...infact, did she even know they were in the same Familia, much-less neighbors?.

Members of Loki Familia who hadn't joined the expedition came out of the manor to help bring inside the bags. "Welcome home." "Good to see you." They said their greetings to their returning comrades as they passed by.

Bell thought about it and decided to go hide in his room so Ais wouldn't see him.

He heard footsteps nearby in the next door come and go indicating Ais dropping off her equipment and leaving...probably for the shower room.

His face flushed at the thought as he tried to get that image out of his head.

After a while of just sitting idly and wiping his guild dagger, his stomach growled signifying dinner time. He looked at the clock in the room which read 8:05 PM, he was five minutes late.

With the expedition returning, the narrow hall was sure to be absolutely crowded and he wondered if he wanted to risk it with Ais being there but his stomach rumbling gave him the courage he needed to make his way there.

As he neared the feast happening in the manor, he started hearing voices or atleast one voice, one obnoxiously loud voice. He peeks around the corner to see what's happening.

"Yeah, Ais! Tell us that one story!"

Hearing Ais's name, random butterflies started flying around in Bell's stomach helping him get a good grasp of how hopeless he is.

"That one story…?"

A young male animal person sitting two seats diagonally across from her requests the tale.

He has what some would call a handsome face, but also a very manly aura. Bell was male himself but had to admit he liked his style.

"You know the one! About those Minotaurs, that got away! Remember, you finished off the last one on the lower fifth! You know; tomato boy!"

Lightning shoots down his spine; the butterflies are gone. Something else is taking their place.

Bell's mind was frozen. His body wouldn't move.

"Are you talking about the group of Minotaurs that attacked us on the lower seventeenth floor, and they ran away when we fought back?"

"Yeah, yeah! That one! By some miracle, they ran up! We tore after them! Already damn tired, too!"

The only mode of transportation in the Dungeon is your own two feet. Since there is no convenient way to reach the lower levels, adventurers who go there pass through the same path over and over.

Therefore, adventurers need to be prepared for both the trip down and the trip up. If you just go as deep as you can, you won't be able to make it back and will be lost forever. _Familias_ that go into the Dungeon need good leaders with a strong sense of how far to go and when to turn back.

"Yeah, and there! That 'adventurer'! Damn newbie kid!"

Despair starts taking over Bell as he realizes where this conversation is heading.

"Got himself cornered like a Lil' bunny! Shaking like one, too! Poor thing was about to explode!"

Every inch of his body was burning. He might've actually exploded then.

"Oh? What happened to the boy? Was he okay?"

"Ais here carved up the Minotaur at the last second, ain't that right?"

"…"

Bell's jaw wouldn't close. His eyes were locked on the animal person, his neck not budging an inch in any other direction. Something was bound to give.

The werewolf cocked his eyebrows, upping his manly presence.

"The kid took the full blast of that stinky cow's blood, got soaked! So, tomato boy! Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ahhh—Ow, my ribs!"

"Woah…"

"Ais, please tell me you weren't trying to do that! I'm begging you!"

"… No, I wasn't."

The animal person was laughing so hard he was tearing up. The rest of the table, too. They were laughing at Bell. The walls echoed their laughter right into Bell's ears, they were seemingly laughing at him too.

"And get this! Tomato boy! He ran away, screaming his head off! Gya-ha-ha-ha! Our princess saves him, and he just buggers off!"

"… Hm."

"GYA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Absolutely priceless! Aisee scares away a newbie! You are sooo awesome!"

"Ha-ha-ha… I'm sorry, Ais, but I can't take this anymore!"

"…"

"Ooooh, don' make them scary eyes! It ruins yer cute face!"

The entire table erupted with laughter.

Bell felt a hole in his chest still burning with the blast of the impact.

It was as if the whole world was in that corner.

"But really, it's been a long time since I've seen something so pathetic! So disgusting I could cry!"

"… Hmmm."

"The hell was he doing? If you're gonna cry like a little bitch, you shouldn't be down there in the first place! Right, Ais?"

"…"

Bell could almost hear his own head caving in.

"It's weak adventurers like him who give us a bad name. Just give it up already!"

"Shut your mouth already, Bete! It was our mistake that let the Minotaurs escape! That boy had nothing to do with it! And stop drinking! Learn some respect!"

"Oh-oh! You elves and your pride! But yeah, what's in it for you to protect that piece of shit? Saying it's our fault, you're lying to yourself! Just to keep your pride! Trash is trash! What's wrong with calling it what it is?"

"Hey, hey! That's enough! Bete, Reveria, relax! You're killing the mood!"

 _—tick, tick, tick_

"Eh, Ais! What did you think about him, the pathetic piece of shit who was shaking in front of you? Do you think he deserves to stand at our level, as adventurers?"

"… I don't blame him for acting the way he did under those circumstances."

 _—tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick_

"Why you acting all Goody Two-shoes? Okay then, I'm changin' the question. Him or me—who's got it going on?"

"… Bete, are you drunk?"

"Shut it! Now, Ais! Choose! As a female, which male wags your tail? Which male makes you hot?"

 _—tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick_

"… I have no reason to answer that question, especially to you, Bete."

"You're absurd…"

"Quiet, hag!… Well then, what if that piece of trash came up to you, said he liked you, would you take him?"

"… Hm."

 _—tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick_

"Of course you wouldn't! Why would a tiny kid who's so weak, feeble, and all-around nauseating have the right to even stand next to you? There's no way he'd measure up!"

"A tiny kid could never land Ais Wallenstein!"

Bell saw red, every inch of his being was on fire.

He tore his eyes away from their table and made a break for the door.

He rushed through the slightly ajar gates leaving the guards on duty confused as to what had happened.

The street was jam-packed with people and buildings, but he didn't care. He focused on getting away. He felt the presence of someone watching him from afar, but he didn't care. He just kept going. It was really dark out, but he didn't care. He was gone.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Bell was running. Tears flowed from his crooked eyes, falling to the ground behind him.

The events of the last hour were replaying in a loop in his mind.

He was so embarrassed, so humiliated, so ridiculed that he wanted to just disappear for the first time in his life.

"Why am I so damn stupid?!"

Each of that animal man's words cut deeper every time he heard them.

"Weak, feeble, trash, tiny, nauseating, pathetic, disgusting, little bitch…"

The question burning in his mind wasn't "What can I do to get close to her?"

It was "If I don't do something, I don't even have the right to stand next to her."

That animal man's words, and the laughing faces around him, awakened violent urges within Bell.

But he was more angry at himself; his do-nothing-and-expect-the-best self.

"This hurts… hurts…! HURTS!"

It hurt to know that everything that the werewolf had said was absolutely true.

It hurt that he couldn't respond, defend himself.

It hurt that he was nothing more than a funny-looking rock on the roadside to her.

It really hurt that he didn't even have the right to talk to her.

"… Eh?"

His ruby-red eyes looked up from the ground to take in the scene before him.

The entrance to the Dungeon was waiting for him beneath the white tower of Babel, door open.

He was going in, to prove them all wrong.

Holding back his tears, Bell ran flat out to the base of the tower of the gods.

* * *

Heavy rain pounded the office window.

Eina looked up from her desk to take a look outside.

"It's really coming down…"

Not too long ago, a golden moon lit up the sky. But now black storm clouds unleashed a deluge of water onto the city.

People still out on the street were dashing to the protection of eaves and awnings. Main Street emptied in the blink of an eye.

Eina put down the paperwork she had been working on and listened to the rain. Leaning back in her chair, she watched the rain cover the landscape.

"Eeeeh? First we get stuck with overtime, and now it's raining cats and dogs! No luck at all…"

"… It came on pretty quickly. The rain should let up by the time we're done here."

One of Eina's coworkers moaned about the rain as she stumbled up to her desk carrying a small mountain of files.

It was almost nine o'clock. Guild headquarters' staff still lined the lobby windows and filled the office nearby, every one of them wrestling with overtime and paperwork. Eina's human friend and coworker had had enough, despite all the bosses saying, "It's the final stretch!" and looking all-important as they worked through their data.

"I know it's almost time for the festival and all, but I wish the bosses would cut us some slack, you know? We aren't all as productive as you!"

"Misha, don't lean on me like that. You're getting in the way!"

"Hee-hee. Wait a sec, Eina. Did you already put away the festival plans?"

Casually brushing aside Eina's hand, Misha's eyes grew as she scanned the papers on her coworker's desk.

Plopping her own files down on the corner of Eina's workspace, Misha snatched up one of the papers before her colleague could protest.

"Oh, one of your adventurers' profiles, right? Hey, this is your new guy, isn't he!"

"… I was told to give an update to our team leader, so I was putting the finishing touches on it."

Eina had given up trying to keep the girl back and answered her with a long sigh.

Misha held an adventurer profile in her hands. It had only the most basic information such as race, personal history, and Familia allegiance neatly written in an easy-to-read layout. All adventurers in Orario had profiles on file at the Guild.

At the top of this one was the name "Bell Cranell."

"What?! He's been here a day, and he's soloing on the lower fifth?! This guy's incredible!"

"No, he's not. He got cocky and wandered down there without conquering the other floors first. He got to the lower fifth on sheer dumb luck, and he nearly died there."

Eina's elegant eyebrows rose as she remembered all the advice she had given Bell, only to have him completely ignore it.

Eina's harsh tone came from a genuine concern for the boy's well-being. Misha chuckled a bit at the worried looked on Eina's face.

"Sure, but that was the Minotaur that escaped from his Familia's expedition, right? He may be a newbie, but Minotaurs even give veterans a run for their money."

"Yes, the Minotaur was an irregular. But for the boy, for Bell, the lower fifth is a death trap."

Eina plucked Bell's profile from her coworker's clutches and looked over the information she had written with her own hands.

"Everything changes at Level Five—the monsters get stronger, the Dungeon path is more complex. As he is now, Bell would die if he went in there again."

His armor and weapons weren't strong enough. He was going in alone, no allies to protect or support him.

What's more, his status was far too low. He was still a newbie, after all.

The Dungeon would not take it easy on him just because he had started only half a month ago.

Eina came to the conclusion that it was far too early for Bell to venture to the lower fifth or below.

"Well, anyway. As long as I'm drawing breath, I won't let him go into the deeper levels."

"Aren't you being overprotective? Are you falling for him?"

"… Eh?"

Eina hadn't been expecting that.

Completely unprepared, Misha's question made her heart skip a beat.

The moment Bell had yelled "I love you!" yesterday after she had told him to be careful and rushed out was still fresh in Eina's mind. It didn't seem like a real confession of love, but his face looked so innocent. Before she knew it, Eina's cheeks had turned a rosy pink.

Realizing that her pointed ears were getting hot, the half-elf Eina calmly took a deep breath and locked eyes with her human coworker.

"Ohhh, scaaarrryyy!"

Misha picked up her pile of files from the desk and flashed a smile. Eina glared at her colleague's back and sunk into her chair.

"I hate being teased…"

He was like a younger brother to her—she'd scold him, and he'd vigorously apologize. This scene repeated in her mind. She giggled as she remembered how he'd nodded his head. Her memories felt so real.

"Bell… What are you doing now?"

Eina once again gazed out the window at the rain that was getting heavier.

The downpour showed no sign of letting up, as if the sky were raining anger from the heavens.

* * *

Bell took a step and kicked off the ground.

"Iiiaaa!"

His blade flashes, faster than before.

The monster behind him crashes to the floor, making a short squeal.

A bulb-eyed frog monster gushes black liquid from the massive cuts all over its body.

It attacks adventurers with a long, spear-like tongue, a "frog shooter."

It's not worthy of pity. Bell felt nothing looking into its sunken, dead eyes.

"Just keep moving forward."

The pain in his arms and legs didn't matter. He would slay anything that moves. His feet had taken him deeper into the Dungeon.

A flat floor, smooth walls, and the ceiling were his guides.

He wandered around aimlessly in the tasteless air of the Dungeon.

It was colder than the afternoon and dead quiet. There was nothing around him—no monsters, no adventurers, just the walls and the chill.

His boots echoed with each step. They were keeping him company through these winding halls.

"…"

It felt like a ghost could come out at any second, that kind of echo. He looked down at his body.

No armor, just his usual street clothes. Slashes and gashes from various claws and fangs were all over him. His clothes had been shredded. They looked like something a criminal would wear while committing a felony.

His right-hand griped a blade that he kept on him for emergencies. His arm dripped with the blood of who knows how many monsters.

"I'm a mess…"

"That's not a problem. I can keep going, but I need to rest my eyes for a moment."

"Run, run, run, how much did I run?"

Through the crowds of Main Street, away from that mansion, into the Dungeon.

He found monsters, slew them, ran to the next, slew them, too.

"Slash, slice, stab… How many have I cut?"

"Just how weak am I? I lost myself for a while."

The thought of his own weakness fueled his rage enough to make it this far with just one knife.

"I have to close the distance between me and her, no matter what. I have to get to her level as soon as possible."

A flame was burning in his heart, and he let it consume his whole body.

"… Where… am I?"

"What do I do now?"

"What happened after the manor?" He only remembers a few flashes here and there. Bell takes a deep breath and racks his brain for clues. He hunted the monsters—He remembers that much—but everything else was so cloudy…

He opened his eyes and takes a look around. The walls were different, kind of a mossy green. The corridor was really thin, too, with more paths breaking off than he remembered.

"I've never even seen a frog shooter before, come to think of it."

"This is the fifth… no, lower sixth floor."

"I came down six flights of stairs starting at the main gate. This has to be the lower sixth."

"It seems I'm exploring a new floor."

He continued forward without fully grasping what he was doing. The idea of turning around never crossed my mind, still numb from the night's events.

He looked around for my next target. Nothing was moving; it was just him and the echoes now.

"Ha… ha… ha…"

"My breathing is a bit rough. Maybe I'm pushing too hard?"

"How long have I been in the Dungeon?"

The sparkling specks on the roof provide light but not the time of day, it could be noon for all he knew and he didn't bring his watch.

"… What's this?"

After walking for a while, he entered a wide room.

It's was a full square and seemingly empty. Just one way in and out. Light green walls, looked as bleak and deserted.

He went halfway in to see if he could see anything but to no avail.

As he turned around to leave the dead end, a sudden sound stopped him in his tracks.

"What was that?"

A _cracking_ noise was coming from somewhere.

"—"

It got louder and louder but Bell saw nothing, there was nothing in the room, no monster could hide behind anything… the eerie sound greatly confounded him.

Nothing to his left or to his right, he couldn't see where it was coming from.

It was just him and that sound. His echoes were gone. It was drilling into his ears.

Was it possible that his senses had improved along with his status? That had to be the only explanation.

Bell decided to test whether that was true or not by following his ears to the source of the noise.

"The wall! It's coming from that greenish wall!"

"Why would a wall be making noise? The walls aren't alive…"

A crack began to spread right in front of him.

"…!"

Monsters were born from the Dungeon walls.

A new monster was being born, right there, right then, from inside the wall.

The Dungeon, the only place in the world that gives birth to a threat to humanity…

A massive, three-fingered hand burst through the crack. It was flexing, grabbing at the air. A foot came, the other hand next. It was coming out of the wall. Pieces of the Dungeon wall were breaking off and falling to the floor, adding even more echoes to the dead-end square.

The creature landed on the floor with a _thud_ ; the last pieces of the wall came crashing down around its feet.

There was only one word to describe it: shadow.

It was probably about 160 centimeters. This monster was about as tall as Bell. Its entire body, head to toe, fingertip to fingertip, was pitch black. Shape-wise, it looked almost human. It had no skin pattern or hair, just smooth black shadow.

Its head looked like a pointed plus sign, with a big, silver, round part in the middle.

The freaky shadow straightened up and turned to face Bell.

This was the lower-sixth-floor monster, "Wall Shadow."

"Ke…!"

Behind him, the wall began to crack signaling another monster being born.

Bell considered whether he had been caught in a pincer but saw that there was wide enough to move around, still, a two on one was not good.

"But this timing… Did I fall into a trap laid by the Dungeon itself? So this is the Dungeon's true face."

"…"

The two Wall Shadows silently flexed their bodies as they surrounded him, getting ready for battle.

Their silver "eyes" were flashing like dying magic stone lamps surrounded in fog. They were locked onto him, their "prey."

"… Haaa!"

He took a deep breath. His blood-stained knife was as ready as it was going to get.

He was probably too far gone, trapped in the lower sixth, no armor, no hope.

But the flames that ignited at the manor were still burning. Everything he heard the animal person say, that's all he cared about.

That pain was far worse than this. The fire within him was more than enough to keep him going.

There was a voice in his head, telling him to run. But his body said fight.

* * *

Wall Shadows have sharp "fingers."

There were three of them sticking out of unusually long arms. They were knives, plain and simple. As they move, they make kobolds and goblins look like child's play.

It's safe to say that Wall Shadows were the most dangerous Sixth Floor monsters in terms of pure power.

Adventurers who stayed in the upper dungeon, lower floors one to twelve, need to be extra careful when one of these things showed up. It may be the last thing they ever see.

"Gaha!"

Bell would agree with that assessment.

Slicing pain affected his body as he was hit already.

Their attack patterns were shockingly strong and fast. Black arms flash in every direction; his skin and clothes were being sliced up like tissue paper.

Their reach was too long for him to handle, he couldn't get close enough to strike back. They weren't letting him.

These monsters were on a whole other level than all the others he had killed.

Bell couldn't counter, couldn't dodge, and couldn't get away.

They were just too strong.

"…"

"Gaaaa!"

These silent killers were aiming for his head.

He caught a glimpse of one of their black blades out of the corner of my eye. Dodging at the last second, it passed just past his ear. The other one began coming straight for him causing him to dodge right.

Front, side, behind, their attacks were coming from everywhere.

These strikes just kept coming, like they were swimming through the air.

He was getting dizzy, barely avoiding fatal blows by spinning like a top.

His blood and sweat were flying everywhere. He was engaged in a dance of death.

This was serious. He might really die down here.

Hang on, he was breathing. Very heavily, but breathing.

"… Why?"

He felt really impatient, but at the same time, something felt different…

Calm. Bell felt a stream of calm energy flowing through his body.

Despite this hopeless situation, his mind was clear. He looks at his opponents with clear eyes for the first time.

"—Why am I still alive?"

"Why didn't I realize it before?"

"How did I make it to the lower sixth with my body still in one piece?"

"Why am I able to fight the monsters around every corner on this floor as equals?"

"I don't understand. How can someone who has only been an adventurer for a day survive on this floor on his own? I've encountered Wall Shadows! I shouldn't be able to dodge their attacks!"

"The half-elf Eina told me as much. She warned me!"

"She told me that my attacks wouldn't make a scratch on these monsters!"

"—Sta… tus?"

A light flips on in the back of his mind. "My status went up way too much earlier this evening."

"It can't be…?"

"The hieroglyphs on my back, could they be the reason?"

"Gaaaou!"

He needed to focus, that last hit had rocked his whole body.

The Wall Shadows took advantage of his wandering thoughts and found an opening.

The back of one of their hands slammed into his shoulder. Not only was he thrown onto his back, but his knife flew out of my hand.

He heard the metallic blade hit the stone floor as his only weapon was gone.

"!"

A shadow rose above him, striking to kill. He quickly rolled to the right to dodge.

The other Wall Shadow was standing above him now, taking aim with its right arm.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

Time slowed down and he sees everything.

Memories flood in with breathtaking speed. Everything he's ever seen, heard, or done lights up behind Bell's eyes.

There she was, his savior bathed in silver light.

"—"

The smile of a special person, the one who introduced him to this world.

"Kke!"

He can move, he feels strong, stronger than ever.

He jumped up from the dungeon floor and punched the Wall Shadow in the face.

Long black arms flew by his cheek. He could feel the skin on his arm being scraped off as he plunged his fist deeper into the monster.

New echoes had joined him: the sounds of the Wall Shadow's face being crushed.

"…?"

Bell's fist plows through the creature's head. Throwing all his weight into a right counter had worked.

A thick black liquid spurts out of the wound in the Wall Shadow's head lodged around his arm. The creature's arms cross where he was just a second ago, but they've gone limp. It falls to its knees as he bursts through.

"Fm!"

"I've got momentum, can't stop now!"

The remaining Wall Shadow stared as Bell pulled his black-blood-stained arm from its former comrade. The last monster squared its shoulders, preparing for his next move.

He made a break for his knife, snatching it off the floor before turning to face the beast one more time.

The animal man had said he looked like a "bunny"? He was gonna prove him right.

He jumped, pivoted, stepped, and rolled, the monster couldn't stop him. Bell got inside its reach before it could block.

The Wall Shadow's muscles were firing, launching an attack. But it was too late.

Slash.

His blade tore a clean slit through the Wall Shadow's chest.

He caught a glimpse of a flash of light from deep within the open wound. The monster's magic stone was severed.

"—!"

The beast let out a silent scream as its jet-black body turned to ash.

Bell stands there for a moment, his arms and knife still outstretched, and watches its figure dissipate. As the last pieces go up, he finally lets himself breathe again.

"Haa… hh… haaa… hh… ha!"

He leans back as his lungs suck in massive amounts of air.

The tension is gone, his body was really screaming at him now. That had been too close, but he was still in one piece. His heart was pounding in his ears; just keeping his eyes open was a pain.

"I'm in bad shape, but how bad?"

He wasn't ready to fight any of those monsters; he shouldn't have been, anyway. But he did, and he won. It had to be his status, that's the only thing that could go against everything he'd been taught. That's the only way that he could have grown enough to do this and survive. The desire to be by Ais Wallenstein had done this.

"What's happening to me?"

The first step to figuring all this out was getting out of the Dungeon alive. He was on the verge of collapsing, hands on his knees and trying to inhale the city itself. He couldn't take much more of this.

He needed to get out of here, now.

He took one step toward the exit, and another, just trying to move forward.

"You shall not escape."

Was he hearing things? That wasn't a voice.

"—!"

"Oh shit…" The walls were echoing, breaking, breathing. Left and right, there was a spiderweb of cracks opening in every direction. Here came the Wall Shadows, lots of them.

… The first reason Eina told him not to come down here unprepared: the number of monsters born from the Dungeon walls dramatically increases from the lower sixth… no, lower fifth floor.

He was stunned. He didn't think he could even speak right now. And more things were howling from beyond the exit door.

He could see their eyes reflecting the light from the ceiling.

"… haaaa."

They came one after another. Lower-sixth-floor monsters bared the only way out.

There went his clean escape. He was surrounded. Wall Shadows were on Bell's left, right, and behind him. Various other beasties were in front. And they were all coming for him.

But he was calm. His head cool and clear.

"…"

He stepped into a defensive stance when he noticed something on the floor.

It was a drop item, it must have come from one of the Wall Shadows, a finger blade.

One of the three must have been left behind. He could use this! There was no grip, just the long blade itself. But what choice did he have?

It cut into his left palm. His blood drips off the tip of the blade.

"—Ah, whatever."

Armed with two knives, he stared down his enemies one by one.

Even in this hopeless situation, Bell didn't feel like his number was up.

He had to reach the next level, get closer to Ais Wallenstein.

He doesn't have time to play with the monsters down here.

He was in the eye of a storm of howls and roars, but he was different now.

The symbols on his back were pushing him forward. His blades were ready.

He charged headlong into their advancing ranks.

* * *

Loki was worried sick. During dinner, she had seen Bell peeking around the corner when Bete was humiliating him and had kept quiet lest the drunk werewolf began to go to town on him right there while his reputation in front of the other members would have been ruined. In fact, she had joined in on his ridicule so no one would notice.

It was not like she wanted to, she really did want to shut Bete up right there but considering her usual nature, the other members would know something was wrong.

Luckily, it didn't seem the other members realized who the rabbit was beside Ais who looked really upset probably because she had seen Bell.

And now it was 12 o'clock with no sign of Bell away and she was getting worried, a plethora of things could have happened to him out in Orario.

She was currently at the gates with the guards keeping a watch for any sign of Bell.

She was just about to turn to Finn or some other Executive of the Familia when the guard let out a sound and Loki looked behind her to see someone approaching from afar.

"Bell?!"

It was him, just as she had guessed.

Relief flowed through her. She was almost ready to cry, but she was lost for words when the light hit him.

He was looking at her with big eyes, almost begging for forgiveness. But his face was covered in cuts, red with blood and brown from mud. He looked utterly exhausted.

His upper body was in rough shape. Loki's eyes spun as she looked at the shreds of cloth draped over his shoulders. They had been a shirt when she left. The skin peeking out from under what was left of his clothes was crisscrossed with gashes and swollen.

His lower body was even worse. His pants were stained with who knew what and frayed all to hell. However, there were three gashes across his right knee that had to come from a very sharp knife. Black and still bleeding, they were the worst injuries on a body riddled with them.

The guards took a step back seeing the half-dead boy approaching.

Loki went pale as she carefully approached him.

"What happened to ya? What's with all them injuries? Ya get mugged or something?!"

"No, it's not that…"

"Then what the hell happened?"

"I went into the Dungeon…"

As the words rolled off her tongue, she forgot her anger for a moment and just stood in awe.

"Are you crazy?! Did ya go into the Dungeon like that? At night?!"

"… I'm sorry."

Bell did not have any armor whatsoever on his body. Going into the Dungeon like this was the same as going in naked.

One hit from a strong monster, and it would be over. Bell's condition was proof of that.

He may have had a knife for protection, but the lack of thought and consideration for his life shocked Loki to no end. Going into the Dungeon like this was not fearless, it was foolish.

"… Why would you even try this? Yer not some thrill seeker or something, right? Was it what Bete said?"

"…"

The more Loki looked at Bell, the less she wanted to scold him. He was not himself; he seemed darker, almost brooding. So she decided to change her tone to try to get a response out of him. He was nothing like the boy who joined her Familia two weeks ago.

Bell showed no signs of opening his mouth. His hair covered his eyes. He was flat-out refusing to open up.

Loki sighed, beside herself.

"Okay, okay. I won't ask ya anything else. You're pretty stubborn, I can't win."

"I'm sorry…"

"I said it's okay, didn't I? For now, ya need a shower. Bleeding seems like it's almost stopped, but yer wounds are dirty. I'll have someone treat them when yer done."

"… Thank you."

Bell showed her a small smile. Although she was still hurting inside, Loki smiled, too.

She stepped away from the gate to let Bell inside, but he staggered forward.

The injury on his right leg must have been serious.

She motioned to the guards to close the gate and offered her shoulder to the struggling boy.

"I-I'm sorry."

"All you do is apologize. If yer really sorry, think about what ya did."

"A-aahh, sorry…"

"Again?"

Loki half carried Bell toward the shower room. It was quite a climb with Loki supporting most of Bell but she managed. At the door, Bell looked at her with determination burning in his eyes.

"Goddess, I...want to get strong!"

"Of course, but take a shower and rest for now."

As he went inside, Loki let out a small chuckle, he was going to be a handful.

* * *

 **NANI!? 6 THOUSAND WORDS ON ONE CHAPTER? I HAVE BYPASSED THE POWER OF ULTRA INSTINCT!**


	5. Sober Reunion

**OMG Guys, that new cover. Ouef. Too Adorable. Also, I've been sick, gimme a break.**

 **Shout out to FirstTimeStoryTeller for becoming my beta for the story.**

 **Let's see, Review Replies.**

 **goggmagog: Good chapter and waiting for next chapter don't let us wait to long and if you thinking 6000 word is ultra instinct wat about 50000 word that some author write in one chapter it craze isn't it**

 ** _Leg: Yeah, no one does that._**

 **derpslurp: I hope Bell and Ais have a moment soon. Noice story mate.**

 _ **Leg: Your wish is my command. Also, I took your name suggestion, thanks.**_

 **er kebbabaro: Berserker mod on ahhh bell have blood chapter and combact scene are write very you sorry for my bad english.**

 _ **Leg: ...what?**_

 **OverLordRevan: beet is such a tool.**

 _ **Leg: Yes.**_

* * *

 **Bell Cranel**

 **Level 1**

 **•Strength: I-25 → G-221**

 **•Endurance: I-18 → H-101**

 **•Dexterity: I-8 → G-232**

 **•Agility: I-50 → F-313**

 **•Magic: I-0**

 **Magic**

 **Skills**

 ** _Liaris Freese_**

 **Rapid Growth**

 **Continued desire results in continued growth**

 **Stronger desire results in stronger growth**

 **...**

 ** _Stultum Desiderio_**

 **Foolish Desire**

 **Strong desire results in a temporary stat boost that is as strong as the person's desire**

"What the..."

Riveria looked in astonishment at the status while Loki just looked like she wanted to bang her head on a table.

The boy asleep on the stool was the living embodiment of plot armor, the likes of which were only told in children's stories.

While Bell was showering, Loki had woken Riveria up to heal him from his various injuries.

Though Riveria couldn't get the answer to where he had been, she had gladly healed him and he had fallen asleep on Loki's bed.

Loki had updated the boy's status from his sleeping form and was now showing it to Riveria.

The elf's eyes were glued to the thin back of the boy beneath her. His status was laid out before her as if she had opened an ancient book of hieroglyphs.

The information expressed in the Falna she had given him sent shivers down her spine.

"This is ridiculous."

The status on his back was not normal, at all.

This wasn't growth. It was leaps and bounds.

He had been an adventurer for two days and his status was already in the hundreds, just looking at his agility made her dizzy.

"There might not be another adventurer like him…"

If everyone grew at Bell's pace, then most adventurers would be at Level Two, almost to Level Three.

Most adventurers had a difficult time reaching Level Two, so much so that most Level Twos were members of large Familias. More than half of adventurers never advanced beyond Level One.

Bell's status was currently the equivalent of two average, veteran adventurers' statuses combined.

The only time a blessed person's status points went up 10 points or more at once was during the early stages of his or her career. Then they usually hit a wall and came to their god to complain about it.

Very few of them made it past that first wall. The rest just went around in circles.

"How did he grow this much…? The only possible explanation is those skills of his!"

Loki just nodded solemnly not really making an attempt to answer, so many emotions were going through her, the deity who thought of everything as a game, the goddess worried about her children and the pervert wanting Ais all to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Bell's back suddenly lighting up, Liaris Freese was activating.

"What the….." Loki was lost for words as the skill illuminated her rather dark room.

"Why would it….." Riveria began to ask but her answer was given by Bell himself.

"...Aissss…."

Riveria looked like she could laugh, and she did. "Is that his desire?" She asked in amusement to which Loki just nodded in mild annoyment. "Wait, so the rabbit that Bete was talking about..."

"Yep, it was Bell."

Riveria sighed, someone really needed to teach the werewolf some respect.

* * *

Bell's stomach had begun talking to him.

"Grroooowlll"

"Ah, rats...I didn't eat anything..."

Bell had woken in the morning in Loki's quarters with the goddess snuggled into him. Not knowing what to do, he had maneuvered his way out of the situation, grabbed his gear and took off for the Dungeon.

As a result, all he could do now was trudge toward his destination and rub his tummy to calm it down.

At this rate, he wouldn't be able to slay anything in the Dungeon. He couldn't concentrate.

He had felt guilty about using the Familia money but now that he was practically starving, the thought of a little expenditure didn't bother him as much.

"What's open at this time? Maybe I can find a nice morsel..."

Something was behind his right shoulder, he quickly looked behind but to no avail.

"Nothing…?" Bell wasn't the kind of adventurer who can sense danger or anything, but he swore he felt the eyes of a killer on his back.

He had sensed the same thing last night but hadn't paid attention to it because of his anger, at the memory his mood instantly sullied.

Were they sizing him up? Whoever they were, they were not normal, and they weren't holding anything back.

There was someone on the café terrace setting up tables, two animal people standing on a corner over there, and a woman looking down from the roof of that shop… His eyes were jumping back and forth to all the people he could see.

"Maybe I missed someone over my other shoulder?"

Everything looked normal for early morning on Main Street. There wasn't even a suspicious shadow around. Then again, he probably looked pretty suspicious, standing in the center of the road with his head on a swivel. As soon as he looked at anyone, though, they got right back to work.

"Am I going crazy? Is the black hole in my gut playing tricks on me?"

His heart was pounding in his ears. He knew there was definitely something around here.

"Um, excuse me…"

He spun around and raised his fists to defend against the source of the voice getting several looks from onlookers in the process.

A girl, a human like him, was standing there.

She wore a white blouse with a light green knee-length skirt. On top of that was a salon apron.

Her simple blue-gray hair was tied into a tight bun on the back of her head, but a ponytail stuck out from the center of it.

Her eyes, the same color as her hair, looked innocent and rather cute.

She was so scared that her smooth, milky skin was all bunched up around her eyes.

"Oh yeah, my fist is a few inches from her jaw…"

She was no threat. What the hell was wrong with him today?

"S-sorry! I was just a little surprised…"

"No, no! I'm sorry for startling you…"

She was apologizing just as furiously as he was. She hadn't done anything so Bell was filled with guilt.

She looked older than him, but just a year or two tops.

Was this the girl he has seen on the café terrace? She had been carrying a table all by herself…

"Um, can I help you?"

"Oh… yes. Here, you dropped this."

A bluish-purple crystal sits in her outstretched palm.

"A magic stone? Huh?"

He craned his neck around to look at the pouch strapped to his lower back. He used this fist-sized pouch to hold all the magic stones he collects from monsters in the Dungeon.

A drawstring usually keeps it wrapped up pretty tight. Was it loose? He thought he had exchanged all of the stones he collected yesterday at headquarters. Had he missed one?

Only adventurers would have magic stones in the first place, so maybe she's right.

"Thank you for going out of your way!"

"Oh, no. Don't mention it."

He returned the smile that bloomed on her face. His eyebrows dropped a bit in shame. Bell had no idea what to say, so he just chuckled along with her. His shoulders finally relaxed as she good-naturedly handed him the stone.

"Are you already heading to the Dungeon at this hour?"

"Yep, I thought I'd get to work a bit early today."

She had asked that question to break the awkward silence. He didn't know what to say himself, so he was glad she spoke up. He would try to leave after some small-talk...or so he thought. His stomach spoke up before he could make a clean getaway.

Her eyes went wide in unison with his face going red.

He heard her laugh a little and Bell felt confident enough to say you could burn an egg on his face.

"Ha-ha. Are you hungry?"

"…Yeah."

"So, you didn't have any breakfast this morning?"

Bell felt so awkward he couldn't look the girl in the eyes, he just dropped his head and nodded.

She thought for a moment before suddenly turning and running towards the café, her boots clopping on the Main Street pavements. She disappeared into a side door and returned almost as quickly as she had left.

She had a charming little basket clutched in her arms. Bread and cheese were sticking up from the brim.

"If this is okay… I mean, the café isn't open yet, so all I can offer is my morning rations…"

"Eh? No, no, no. That's your breakfast! I can't accept it!"

She looked a little bit shy and bit her lip.

Bell took a deep breath, he strengthened his resolve, thought about Ms. Wallenstein and calmed down.

"She's one of those inner-beauty types Grandpa always talked about, a "good girl next door" type of girl"

"I can't leave you hungry like this. It would make me sad as a person to do that. So please, Mr. Adventurer, accept it, for me."

"How can I say no to that…?"

His resolve weakened under her smile and he just couldn't refuse.

She closed her eyes for a moment while Bell searched for his next words. When she opens them, a mischievous smile creeped over her face. She leaned forward until her face was just a few inches from his.

A little too close for comfort.

"Mr. Adventurer, I'm making this sacrifice for you. So in exchange for the bread and cheese this morning…"

"In exchange…?"

"You have to eat dinner tonight at the bar I work at."

It was his eyes' turn to get wide.

He slowly chewed over her words.

The girl has completely destroyed the ice. This is the first time they had met, and she was laughing like they were old buddies.

"You don't play fair, do you…?"

"Hee-hee-hee. Here you are! Don't worry about it because I'm sure I'm going to make a lot of money today!"

Bell got the message, "Spend a lot of money tonight!"

He thought about what was with the girl, that was an awful lot of pressure to put on someone you just met.

"… Well then, I'll be seeing you tonight."

"Yes! I'll be waiting!"

She laughed for Bell as he left. Sure, he felt a little manipulated, but also good, like two old friends had had tea together.

He held the basket in one hand as she saw him off.

He looks down Main Street, toward the tower at the center of the city. Lines of tall buildings pierce the morning sky, but the center tower looms over all of them. The Dungeon is waiting below it.

Suddenly, he remembers something important and turns to face the girl.

She looked slighty confused. He took a deep breath.

"I… I'm Bell Cranell. What is your name?"

A heavy second passes as he squint his eyes waiting for her response. They pop open when she smiled at him.

"I'm Syr Flover, Bell."

They exchange names, laughs, and waves before he set out.

* * *

Eina looked at Bell's satchel of magic stones in disbelief, no Rookie Level 1 Adventurer should ever be able to have done this.

It was filled to the brim and Bell was slightly fidgeting at her reaction expecting an outburst at any moment.

After a minute, she just sighed and let it go. The boy was something extraordinary.

"Are these all?" She asked jokingly to help regain her stance.

"Actually, I had to leave a lot of things behind because of it overfilling the bag."

Eina slightly twitched at that but just nodded in response, her advisory skills coming into play at Bell's dilemma.

"What you need is a supporter, perhaps you can get another Level 1 to party with you. What about your familia members?"

"I don't think the lower level members of the familia like me." Bell sheepishly said, he had a strained relationship with the lower level members of his familia on account of Finn personally vouching for him.

"Well, don't worry about that. You could also get a supporter from another familia that would like to form a party."

"Ok, thanks, you're the best Eina, I'll keep that in mind."

They were now walking to the exchange counter where Bell was going to trade in his stones.

"By the way, Bell,...are you free next Wednesday?"

"Eh!?

"We're going armor shopping." Eina said matter-of-factly and Bell could only look in confusion.

"O...kay..."

The rest of the journey was made in silence and Bell soon waved goodbye to the half-elf as he left the guild.

By this time, it was afternoon. As he was sorting through his items, he saw Syr's basket and he remembered the promise to visit her workplace.

"Might as well use some of the money I made as a thank you for the basket."

As he headed to the restaurant, he noticed some stares directed at him and he could only look back in confusion until it hit him.

This was the place where he had seen Ais drunk for the first time, that meant people would recognize him as the person who was carrying 'The Sword Princess' on his back.

Bell tried to appear as small and uninteresting as possible to avoid attention but it was too late, the gossip began to spread until he couldn't take it anymore.

He ran until all the people on the street were blurs, he planned to hide inside Syr's workplace but he was running so fast that when the pub arrived he couldn't stop and ran straight into the blur in front of him.

The person caught him from falling and Bell quickly brushed himself off before apologising, "I'm so..." The words were lost in his mouth as Ais looked at him in confusion.

The rabbit turned heel to run away but it was too late, Ais grabbed him by his collar preventing him from running. "Please, don't run."

The sober and pleading tone of the girl made Bell stop struggling and a sigh escaped his lips as he realised how he would have to explain his irrational behaviour.

"Can we talk?" Ais asked and he just nodded as much as he could with her having a death grip on his shirt.

Ais warily let go as though afraid he would run away again, he didn't.

"Can we go inside?" Bell asked motioning to the pub, wanting to avoid drama on the street and keep his promise to Syr.

A smile formed on Ais's lips surprising Bell and a blush began to form at seeing the expression. "Sure,"

* * *

The pub was half empty when they both entered and a waitress instantly rushed up to them.

"Bell! And the...Sword Princess?" It was Syr and seeing Bell accompanied by one of Orario's strongest adventurers slightly caught her off guard.

"Double timing already? Oh, how sad." She teased Bell after having regained her composure.

"I-IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Bell said noticing the suspicious glance from Ais.

"Hehe, well, table for two?"

"Yes, please and oh here's your basket. The food was delicious, thank you." This earned another suspicious glance from Ais which Bell tried to ignore.

"Oh well, you know, I had to stay hungry all morning but since you enjoyed it, it was all the more worth it." She said with a slight smile, guilt tripping Bell into submission.

"There are two free seats at the counter if you like." She said when she was called for orders by an elf.

"That will be great, thanks." Bell said and dismissed her to her work. Turning back to Ais, she was eyeing him with an expression of what seemed like slight anger, and having a Level 5 adventurer mad at you was not a good thing.

"A-any ways, let's sit." Bell said and they both seated themselves at the counter side by side.

"So...Miss..." Bell said trying to think of something to say. The situation was awkward enough that he just wanted to disappear into his seat.

"Call me Ais, everyone else does."

"A-Ais…."

"Well, Riveria told me of how you brought me home after my goddess got me drunk, thank you and I'm sorry for my...behaviour that night." Ais let out her gratefulness to the boy and a slight tinge of red decorated her cheeks at the last thing.

"No, no, it was my fault for bumping into you and messing with your head." Bell said, disgusted at himself for having her stoop so low as to apologise to him.

"And I'm sorry for the Minotaur and spraying you with blood."

"I'm sorry for running away instead of thanking you."

Both of them were sprouting apologies and they both looked up at each other before realising the comedic nature of it all, they both broke into laughs. Though on Ais's part, it was more of a low chuckle.

The ice was broken.

Ais now had a smile which Bell found brighter than all the lamps in the rooms.

"So, which famila do you belong to?" Ais said wanting to get to know more about her newly made acquaintance.

"I-it's w-well," Bell said nervously having Ais come to conclusion that it was a small one and he was embarrassed to say their name.

"There's no need to hide the name," She said encouragingly to the rabbit who finally cracked, "Loki Familia."

Ais tilted her head in confusion earning another blush from Bell at her what he thought innocent beauty.

"...My room is also the one besides yours." Bell said sheepishly revealing his presence to the girl.

Before Ais could reply, a huge woman entered Bell's field of view making him quake in fear.

"Well, aren't you two popular." The dwarven lady said in a rather soft voice very much disproportionate to her size.

Bell looked behind him to see what she was talking about and sure enough, it seemed the whole place was staring at the two of them and more importantly, glaring daggers at him causing Bell to shift uncomfortably in his seat.

Ais seemed unfazed by all this and just spoke to the woman, "Hello, Miss Grand,"

"Ais, always so formal, I told you to call me Mia. So, who's this cutie?" She said as she suddenly grabbed Bell's cheeks and Ais's eyes slightly darkened with what seemed like envy.

"He's...a new familia member." She said with her smile returning resulting in Bell having to look away to hide his face.

"White-hair, by any chance are you the adventurer Syr was telling me about?"

"I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!" Syr, who had quietly been listening from the side suddenly jumped in and as quickly as she came, an elf pulled her back to work.

"Anyways, I heard the poor girl stayed hungry all morning, I guess you could show your gratitude by spending a lot of money." She said with a slight smile and Bell let in a slight gulp.

"Well, we should order something." Ais told him and he nodded in response. Soon, they were cheerfully eating with Bell having occasional blushing fits.

Of course, the other residents of the pub were not ignored. Their looks, gossip and glares soon became too much to handle and Bell voiced his concerns.

"Sure, let's go someplace else." Ais said and Bell silently fist pumped at having the opportunity to spend more time with her.

She paid the bill for both their meals without any objection from Bell because he knew he couldn't win.

Their exit, however was interrupted by the entrance of some rather famous adventurers of Orario. Finn Deimne, Riveria Ljos Alf, Gareth Landrock, Tione Hiryute and Tiona Hiryute.

"Oh, hi Ais!"

* * *

 **Done, ouef. Next Chapter coming sometime. Ouef.**


	6. Embarrassment

**Before you say this chapter feels rushed, I know it does and I'm sorry, I've been sick and stressed.**

 **Review Replies.**

 **Guest:** **It has been 2 months please hurry up**

 _ **Me: 23 days*, it hasn't even been 2 months since I posted the story.**_

 **skidney:** **Awesome story!**

 _ **Me: Thanks!**_

 **Reaper Gamer:** **Your good keep this up**

 _ **Me: *tired chuckle* I'll try!**_

 **peddy-kun:** **Why would Eina suggest that Bell party up with a supporter from a different familia? Wouldn't there be someone in the Loki familia be willing to play the role of supporter for him, if only until the next expedition? Eina only suggested that in the novel because he was the only member of his familia.**

 _ **Me: Well, I suggested in chapter 3 that Bell didn't have a great relationship with his familia members and I guessed he would've have told Eina about it but since you implored it, I changed it so he tells Eina about his relationship with the lower level members of his familia.**_

 **Guest:** **this is fun**

 _ **Me: YAY!**_

 **You10:** **Hi men!**

 **Damm... I'm loving this story! It's fantastic!**

 **I really like how you write and the interactions between the characters, they're perfect.**

 **Also it fits pretty well the new skills that Bell has, and I don't mean the one that we all now.**

 **The relationships you're building up between Ais and Bell is really good!**

 **And also its funny how you're making Ais when someone else touch his big bunny.**

 **Looking forward for the next chapter, bye!**

 _ **Me: I think you messed up a few genders there but thanks for the review. I'll try to keep it up.**_

 **haloisautistic:** **when is the next update can i get like a timeframe please because i love how this story goes and i want to know more**

 _ **Me: I write when I can so a time frame is hard to make, sorry!**_

 **Satellizersama:** **OH MY GOD , IT'S SOOOOOOOO GOOD AND YOU ARE AMAZING**

 ** _Me: Yes yes, I know._**

 **Guest:** **So is this going to bell x aiz or bell x harem?**

 _ **Me: Well, it's going BellxAis for now but we'll see** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).**_

 **Killerbull27:** **Another great chapter you are on a roll pls keep it up, I wonder how the members of the loki familia will react to there date :D**

 _ **Me: Read and find out.**_

 **psychominer:** **this will** **go horribly**

 ** _Me: You'll see._**

 **CrimsonRasengan:** **aiz isn't going to be a yandere is she. if so, girls watch out aiz gonna cut a bitch**

 _ **Me: Hmmm, perhaps.**_

 **OverLordRevan:** **i love this story. i can't wait for the next chapter,. Although, i do hope aiz and bell move faster than in the cannon. Freya is going to be pissed**

 _ **Me: You're gonna love this chapter then.**_

 **derpslurp:** **oh my Bell you're so forward going on a first date already. Jokes aside, thus was a nice little chapter but it felt kinda rushed. It's still a noice story though**.

 ** _Me: *sniff* They grow up so fast. But in all seriousness, updating the previous chapter and this has been a rush but I'll try to get my head straight from now on._**

* * *

Bell shrunk into his chair as he sat with six of Orario's strongest adventurers, the executives of the Loki Familia.

The entire pub had their eyes on the table for eight and to make matters worse, Riveria was looking between him and Ais with a slight smug smile as though she knew something, Bell wasn't very comfortable with that.

"Where's... Bete?" Ais asked noticing the one missing executive from the group, though she was glad he wasn't here. She didn't want to see Bell ridiculed again.

Riveria shot Bell a sudden sympathetic look making him realize something definitely was up with the high-elf.

"Oh, he's been bummed since the morning. He was so drunk he didn't remember anything from last night and just to mess with him, I told him he asked you out and you said no." Tiona recounted the morning's events.

Ais's lips slightly turned upwards at that but she tried not to show it.

Bell realized the strange sobbing he had heard in the morning when he was leaving did sound strangely male.

A slight smile formed on his lips for two reasons, one, Ais didn't seem to be affected at having rejected the werewolf and second, he was in misery.

Noticing both their smiles, Gareth spoke up, "Well, I hope we aren't interrupting you youngling's date."

The comment had the desired result with Bell nearly choking on his own result while Ais quickly went to the defensive whilst trying to find a reason for them being together.

"That's not it, we were…" Ais couldn't tell them the real reason she was looking for Bell, they would find out who Bete was belittling at dinner yesterday.

"Uh-huh," Tione said from her seat with her hand under her chin voicing Ais to continue.

"Bell asked me to train him and I accepted!" Ais declared, proud of herself for coming up with a reason on the fly.

"I did?" Bell suddenly asked earning a slight snicker from the members gathered.

"Oh that reminds me Bell, how's your adventuring...?" Finn cut off as he watched Ais confidently get up and grab Bell by the back of his collar.

"Huh?"

"Come on Bell, we have training to do!"

Ais began to drag him out the bar and Bell, resigning himself to his faith, waved goodbye at both the Loki Familia executives and Syr who had been watching from a distance.

The bar's members looked at the ordeal with interest, glad to have more gossip fuel to survive the week.

The slightly confused members waved back and looked at each other as to figure out what had just occurred.

Riveria let out a small chuckle, the boy had been part of the familia for two weeks was already starting to change Ais, a positive change.

"Well, let's order!" Finn announced and Tiona did a slight cheer as he called the waiter.

* * *

"Mi-Ais, where are we going?" Bell was still wary of using the Sword Princess's first name but since she had so sweetly insisted.

"Training!" She simply said as she lead him through the streets of Orario with a tight grip on his hand.

Passerby's gave sympathetic looks at what appeared to be a beating about to be administered on someone who had done some crime.

"I thought you were just lying to…."

"No, we are training!"

"But it's so late, It's nearly night!"

"Training!" Bell sighed, he knew arguing anymore would be useless and besides, he got Ais as his trainer. That was a celebratory moment.

Ais had worked herself into a fiery passion and practically ignored whatever Bell said, dragging him to whatever location she had in mind for her "training".

After a while, they reached the North-Western section of the wall surrounding Orario. Bell, however, tried one last time to show Ais reason as he was already too tired to train.

"A-AIZ!" Bell said forcefully causing the swordswoman to look back in suprise at the boy's tone.

"I'm sorry but, can we train starting from next week or something? Please?" Though a string of luck had given him such a chance that Ais had become willing to be his mentor, he was still human.

Seeing the boy's pleading look, Ais slowly regained her senses and realized what she had been doing for the last hour.

She, however, was not going to back down from something she had said in front of the other members.

"I already told the others we were training,"

Hearing this, divine inspiration struck Bell, the likes of which would make his grandfather proud.

"We could...pretend...to go to training in the morning together until next week when we actually train. Meanwhile, we could just...t-talk or something."

"Alright, be ready by 6." Bell internally smiled, he could spend more time with Ais without anyone questioning it as they would think both of them went to train.

"Done!"

"But we can't go home right now, if they ask at home, they'll find out that we didn't train after leaving the pub."

Bell took a deep breath, channeled everything his grandfather had taught him and spoke.

"You could...show me around Orario."

Ais gave him a smile, "Sure."

* * *

Up above in the Tower of Babel, a Goddess of Beauty looked in silent anger as a white haired boy walked merrily around Orario with one of its strongest adventurers.

She wore a black and red revealing attire shamelessly as she sat on her sofa thinking about the situation.

Freya didn't like it, she didn't like it one bit.

When the application form from the boy had come, she had not been sure what to do at first. He was weak, pathetically so but something about the picture had attracted her and when she had seen the boy from the top of her tower she had witnessed his transparent soul and was captivated.

Her silver eyes had never seen anything like it and she wanted him.

Unfortunately for her, the night she had made the decision to accept the boy into her familia, the boy had a fateful encounter with Ais Wallenstein leading to the Loki Familia getting him.

And now, he was forming a bond with the Sword Princess.

Freya stirred the wine glass in her hand while pondering as to what to do next.

"Ottar!" She called out to her faithful servant who she knew to be standing outside her room like a guard dog...guard bull.

Ottar gently opened the door and entered, having to lower his head a little to allow for his massive frame to enter.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Can you go check if that quick-cast grimore Allen was telling me about is still available?"

"I'm on it."

Freya smiled, she could charm the boy whenever she wanted to. Right now, she wanted to see his potential.

* * *

Bell tried to calm his panicking body as he slowly backtracked through everywhere he had been since coming back from the dungeon.

"Are you sure you had it when you had it when you left the dungeon?" Ais asked inquisitively at Bell on his knees scanning every grain on the floor.

"Yeah, after leaving I checked all my items to find Syr's..." Bell stopped talking, unsure whether to reveal to Ais that Syr had given him lunch.

"Never mind, but I still had it."

"Wasn't it just a guild issued dagger? We could get you a new one."

"I...don't want anyone to waste money on me, I already owe you guys so much."

Ais slightly smiled, the boy's words had reminded her of when she had newly joined the Loki Familia.

Understanding how he felt, she didn't bother to argue and instead decided to offer some suggestions on where the dagger could have gone.

"How about at The Hostess of Fertility? I-we left there in quite a hurry."

"Yeah, let's go!" Bell said grabbing Ais's hand and dragging her to the bar much to her embarrassment.

This time, Bell ignored the stares of the people and Ais had to endure them as she wondered how she was so weak to a Level 1's grip, it was not about physical strength, she just couldn't place a mark on it.

"B-Bell," Ais tried, not used to this new feeling of being at someone else's mercy, "The others will be there, it'll be e-embarrassing..."

It was, however, too late for Ais as they were already entering the pub.

"Bell!" A voice called out from near the back of the building.

Bell let go of Ais's hand, much to her dismay, and made his way over to Syr calling him.

Syr's face showed varying degrees of emotion as she stood guiltily besides another waitress who was an elf.

"My name is Ryuu, Mister Bell, a pleasure to meet you. Syr has something she would like to say to you." The elf spoke in a graceful and elegant manner strangely making him feel aware of Ais's glaring presence at his back.

"Hey Bell, so um, when you left, I tried to stop you for something, it was nothing really, and your knife sorta fell out your person, and you know clumsy me, so..."

"She stepped on it at full force and it broke." The elf got quickly to the point.

Syr shyly produced a cloth form behind her back that he hadn't noticed before and in it contained fragments of his once trusty guild dagger.

"But to have done that, you would need to be High Level Adventurer!" Bell spoke in astonishment at the apparently fragile looking girl having broken his dagger by stepping on it.

"Hehe..." A slight giggle from Syr was his only answer.

"Don't be mad, in turn, I'll...make you lunch everyday!"

Bell sighed, Syr looked too cute to argue with. "Alright."

"Now hurry up Syr, we have work to do." Ryuu spoke from besides Syr.

Bell, illiterate in elven culture, took Ryuu's hand tried his best graceful bow, "A pleasure, Miss Ryuu."

Syr looked wide eyed at the scene while Ryuu looked shocked before calmly answering, "Likewise Mister Bell."

She quickly slipped her hand from his grip and left for the kitchen with Syr behind her.

Once there, Ryuu leaned her back against the wall while holding the hand Bell had held.

A smile formed on her lips.

* * *

Bell looked confused at the spot where the two had stood for a moment before turning around to find Ais.

He had lost his dagger and had not even been able to get angry because the one who broke it was a pretty girl, he really need to get his act together.

The Sword Princess was seated with the other members of the Loki Familia and was red to the bone with the other members continuing to laugh.

A feeling of guilt passed over as he had known this would have happened and had still dragged Ais anyway.

Bell dragged an empty chair and set it besides Ais, sitting down and joing his fellow familia members.

"Hey Bell, h-h-how was 'training'!?" Tiona said whilst laughing hysterically.

All the other members of the table had smiles or grins on their faces, even Finn was having a hard time hiding his amusement".

"My weapon broke."

"Oh..."

Bell's grim expression caused the atmosphere of the table to suddenly darken.

Pushing aside several mugs from in front on him, testament to how much the table had eaten after Bell and Ais had left, Gareth spoke in a carefree manner, "Well, we could always get yee a new one!"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to be a bother!"

"Nonsense, you're part of the familia now, if you need anything, it's our responsibility to provide you with it." Finn spoke with a smile.

"And besides," Riveria began with a slight laugh, "Do you know the amount of swords Ais has broken? We were considering getting a blacksmith join the familia just for her."

Laughter spread across the table in which even Bell partook but Ais's sudden menacing glare shut the entire table up.

A light-bulb suddenly went over Tione's head as she too joined in on teasing Bell and Ais, "Oh yeah, Ais knows plenty of places, you two should go together to get a new weapon!"

Bell ducked his head in embarrassment but it seemed Ais didn't get the joke.

"I'm free next Wednesday, training's cancelled till then."

Bell's wish of hanging out with Ais was quickly crushed in that one statement.

Tione then gazed at Bell with what could only be prescribed as a 'you-owe-me' look.

In the midst of this, a realization came upon him.

He already had plans with Eina.

* * *

 **Ok ok, I know that chapter was wayyy to short and you guys are angry that that's all you get after all that wait but...Ais x Bell?**

 **Also did you see that hinted BellxRyuu action?**

 **In all seriousness, next chapter, everything will tie in, Freya, Eina, Ais and Bell's supporter. I'll also make it a big chapter so you guys don't have to be pissued anymore. Though...** **you might have to wait. (Don't kill me.)**


	7. Prum, then a Misunderstanding

**So...I'm back. Alright then.**

 **Btw, I realized how useless it is to include review replies in the next chapter when the chapters take a month or so to come so these are my last review replies in a chapter. Sad. I'll PM from now on. Also, Bell's thoughts are '(Insert)' while dialogue is "(Insert)"**

* * *

 ***clap* Review *clap* Replies.**

* * *

 **bravaldi:**

 **What fun! Bell has plenty on his hands! Look forward to the next installment! So did syr get super human powers breaking Bell's dagger or was it someone else (maybe Ryu already wanted in the action)?**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **Well, it's always implied that almost all of the waitresses have high levels so I thought why not just made Syr Level 4 or something.**_

* * *

 **KeyofSolomon.M.E:**

 **nice chapter i liked the Ryuu portion as well ill hold hope for her getting more screen time. anyway good job and i cant wait for the next chapter that willl be longer ... RIGHT AUTHOR SAMA!**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **Hehe, sorry for the wait.**_

* * *

 **death'sgodson1224-DGS:**

 **:Its been 3 parsecs...take your time.**

 **I love this story...I hope you don't get too stressed.**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **Idk about me but my laptop did get too stressed.**_

* * *

 **Reaper Gamer:**

 **Damn poor bell embarrassment is one of those things that stings like a bitch you did very well with this chapter though I might have missed it but aiz is an airhead at times so I'd be nice to see that, but that's my personal thing doesn't effect the story to much**

 **Also you showed me in the review response but didn't respond so ya I don't know see ya around**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **I do try to keep Ais's airhead-ness in mind at all time but I'm only human. Also the review thing was a mistake and I fixed it.**_

* * *

 **CrimsonRasengan:**

 **take you time and relax. a rushed story will never be as good as a story that takes longer to write. if anyone tells you otherwise F*** THEM. good luck and I hope you feel better.**

 _ **Leg:**_

 ** _I think I took too much time. I think they do have the right to tell me to hurry up._**

* * *

 **You10:**

 **Hahahaha nice chapter, really funny.**

 **And to be honest I didn't feel forced or rushed they (AisxBell) relationship, actually I quite I enjoy it.**

 **So next chapter. Will Bell tell Ais that he has plans or he will go to both dates?**

 **BTW. Yeah, I noticed too late to changed my bad grammar, English isn't my main language so I somethings forget about things like that.**

 **To next chapter if you need to take your time, do it, it's always better to take time in doing something good than to write whatever comes to your mind(not that that is wrong, sometimes it works, but it's not ideal)**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **Well, here ya go, read to find out.**_

* * *

 **OverLordRevan:**

 **awesome...**

 **i think the only pairings i like in the story has only been:**

 **ryu, because he has a thing for elves.**

 **ais , because she is awesome.**

 **hestia, they really just fit.**

 **my favorite pairing is ais though.**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **Hmm, Hestia you say? *clicks tongue in disappointment***_

* * *

 **Fireball2525:**

 **I am honestly shocked by how good this story turned out to be. At the first chapter, you acted like you made the fanfic just to satisfy the reader's desire for word count. Now, it has turned into the most popular danmachi fanfic. My fanfic is finished, so make sure yours keeps being amazing.**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **I said that because people kept saying how my previous story was too short. I obviously wanted to write the story myself, I just did something to please the people reading it. It's obviously not the most popular danmachi story but all the support on it is very much appreciated. Your fic was great aswell and I hope you write more soon.**_

* * *

 **HALO343:**

 **Que buen capitulo, corto pero muy entretenido y te apoyo siempre y cuando halla bellxryuu.**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **Bueno, supongo que su apoyo termina aquí ya que la historia es BellxAis.**_

* * *

 **Killerbull27:**

 **Always liked BellxRyuu ever since I read ryuu's side story wonderful chaper btw and who will be bells support this time, doe it's up to u I would realy like to see Naza from the miach famillia the cute dog girl with a metal arm but that just me :P can't wait for the next one.**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **I can't betray Lili, sos.**_

* * *

 **RiveriaLover:**

 **Poor Bell all he wanted was his weapon**

 **Also love your story and keep it up and take your time on writing the next chapter**

 **Take too long and im'ma kill ya**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **Gimme a time and place boi.**_

* * *

 **MysticSSJTwin:**

 **Please don't get discouraged with people complaining. This is one of the only good (That I've read) Danmachi fics that are active. And its good enough that I check my email every day hoping for a new chapter, then even if I didn't get one about an update I still log into FF just to check in hopes that the email got lost.**

 **Please keep this story going!**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ _ **"Active"**__

* * *

 **Guest:**

 **BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU! BELL X RYUU!**

 **\- XxXRyuuL0v4r69XxX**

 **! d0ņ7 ķn0 ¥ ! m D0!nĞ 7#!$**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ **No.**_

* * *

 **haloisautistic:**

 **Great chapter a little short but i hope u feel better for faster updates but i live this fanfiction do u have a wattpad account if so can i get it to read ur stories they are really good and most importantly FEEL BETTER SOON**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ _ _ **I do, it's called LegandorZ, but I'm more active here (When I'm active).**___

* * *

 **PrototypeSaber15:**

 **BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ**

 **BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ**

 **BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ**

 **BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ**

 **BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ**

 **BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ BELL X AIZ**

 _ **Leg:**_

 _ _ **Yes.**__

* * *

 **ZenithTempest:**

 **I really like this story. I just hope you change the single-pairing over time to be BellxAisxRyuuxSyrxLoki.**

 _ _ **Leg:**__

 _ _ **Hahahahahahahahahaha, no.**__

* * *

 **Sora:**

 **Of course is Ais x Bell, it's a Ais and Bell fan fiction after all!**

 ** ** ** _Leg:_******

 ** ** ** _YES! SOMEONE THAT UNDERSTANDS._******

* * *

 **EagleDragon15:**

 **Great idea, love the story**

 _ ** **Leg:****_

 ** ** _ ** **Yeee.****_****

* * *

 **Alright, RIP Review Replies. On to the story.**

* * *

Bell was nervous and confused. Was this a date? Should he let Eina and Ais meet? Will they become friends? Will they not like each other? How awkward would it be? Should he call it off with one or both of them?

And to top it all off, he had told them to meet him at the same place. Central Park.

He had been so confused at what to do, he had only worsened the situation.

Plus, how much would the shopping cost?

"Hmm, let's see, a good piece of armor would cost...um...how much does armor cost?"

He was jogging to the Park, when suddenly. "…Footsteps?"

Bell stopped in his tracks.

It was the sound of someone running coming from the other end of the side street. No...two someones, one big, one small. Bell could tell by the echoes of their shoes.

'Where…?'

Bell had just come off West Main. Looking back the way he came, he could still see people moving on the crowded street. The footsteps were getting louder, and they were coming his way.

Anxiety bubbled in his stomach at a possible 'incident' happening.

Being as careful as possible, he timidly looked around the corner of his usual route.

"Ow!"

"Huh?!"

A shadow passing in front of his face suddenly crashed to the ground. It must have tripped his foot as the shadow tried to turn the corner.

Trying to keep his own scream down, he turned around for a closer look.

'…A Pallum?'

The person was a bit shorter than Finn, with limbs so thin that they might break if he touched them. Seeing how small every part of the body is, the name of a certain species of demi-humans came to Bell's mind.

They were known for loving good food, dancing, and being merry.

"Excuse me, are you okay?"

"Eh…h."

The stuttering person pulled their body off the pavement. It was a girl. Her messy, chestnut-coloured hair was long enough to hide her neck.

She looked like a child. 'That would explain her small size.' Bell thought. Her over-sized spherical eyes made quite an impression on him.

"Found ya, ya piece-of-shit prum!"

Bell had just been about to extend his hand to help the girl up when a human appeared at the other end of the street. His rage-filled voice made the girl shake with fear, making Bell feel extremely sorry for her.

The man's eyes shone with anger, and he looked to be an adventurer, too.

'He seems to be—perhaps twenty years old? He has a relatively large sword strapped to his back and looks much more experienced than me.' Bell thought, comparing himself to the newcomer.

"Yer not getting away…!"

The man was like a demon breathing hellfire as he looked down on his prey.

He had not even been looking at Bell directly but he still leaned back a bit in fear.

'This guy is scary!—What was he going to do to this prum girl?'

His body moved on its own after that thought ran through my head.

Bell stepped into his path, hiding the girl behind him.

"…What the?! Kid, yer in the way! Beat it!"

The man had been so focused on the girl that he just realized Bell was there.

Bell's cheeks twitched. He had stared down hundreds of monsters, but he was not used to this feeling.

Facing down the man's powerful aura, Bell squared his stance and locked his legs in place.

"Umm…What are you going to do with this girl?"

"Shut it, brat! If ya don't scram right now, I'll carve ya up along with the piece of shit behind ya!"

'—Nope, can't move.'

His eyes moistened a bit, but he had made up his mind.

He don't know the details, but the man was about to do something very cruel to the girl behind him.

He pulled the backpack that he had been wearing to carry his future shopping off my shoulders and lightly tossed it to the side of the nearest building. The man was surprised and a look of shock appeared on the girl's face just behind Bell.

The glazed look in the man's eyes vanished as a new wave of red rage overtook him.

"Kid…! Do ya want to die?!"

"W-wait…just a minute. If you can just calm down…!"

"Shaddup! The hell is wrong with ya?! Is short stack there yer friend or something?!"

"N-never seen her before in my life."

"Then why the hell are ya protecting that piece of shit?!"

"…B-because she's a girl."

"The hell are ya saying…!"

Really, what was he saying…? But he didn't think he had a choice. That really was the reason. That's what real men did, right? It was normal to help a girl in trouble. Do he need any more reason than that?!

"Fine…I'll slit yer throat first, kid…!"

The man reached behind his back and drew his sword.

Bell can feel his intent to kill all over my body. Bell reached out to draw his dagger only to remember something, Syr broke it.

Ignoring his sudden anger at the bar waitress, Bell adopted a fighting stance with his right arm infront of his left.

The man was taken aback at first, but soon he assumed a ready stance and glared at him with pure hatred.

'—This is bad.'

This was his first time facing off against another human…His legs wouldn't stop shaking. Could he...fight this fight?

Bell was already nervous, but the man's killing energy was starting to make him panic. Sweat poured down his face. He swallowed his spit in his mouth over and over again. A ferocious smile grew on the man's lips as he saw Bell's pitiful excuse for courage in the face of danger, and to top it all off he didn't even have a weapon. The man probably realized that his opponent isn't ready for this.

The man took a few steps forward. Bell would have liked nothing more than to take a few steps back, but he forced the urge down with pure willpower.

He couldn't see this ending well for him, but he couldn't back down.

It took all of his power just to raise his eyes to meet the man's.

The next heartbeat, the man jumped straight for him.

"Stop right there."

The man never brought down his blade.

A forceful voice filled the area.

The man and Bell both looked toward the source of the voice. An elvish girl holding a large paper bag stood just a few feet away.

Like Eina, her eyes and nose were high on her face. The main difference between her and the half-elf was that this girl's ears came to a full point.

Sky-blue, almond-shaped eyes bore straight through the male adventurer.

'Wait, isn't she…Lyu? One of the waitresses who works at The Benevolent Mistress?'

"Where do these rats keep coming from…?! What's yer deal?!"

"The one you intend to kill…He is destined to become the companion of a person irreplaceable to me. I will not allow you to injure him."

'What did she just say…?'

"What the hell is wrong with people today?! Ya really wanna die so bad?!"

"Silence!"

—The air itself seemed to freeze.

The man who was yelling at the top of his lungs swallowed his words. Lyu stood before them, her eyes sharp slits on her face. The sheer pressure of her presence was intense. A look of panic worked its way onto the man's face.

Bell didn't have any room to criticize him; He shaking in his boots, too.

"…—…?!"

"I don't want to cross blades with you. I have a bad habit of going too far." Lyu sounded detached, almost bored. She was bathed in natural spotlight from the sun shining in from above her.

Bell bet that was true, it had to be, you could tell just by her posture how strong she was.

The adventurer started to flap his lips, as though like trying to deliver on his last warning. Bell heard a sharp shing, and suddenly there was a stiletto in Lyu's free hand.

'C-couldn't see it at all…'

"D-DAMN IT!"

The man turned slightly blue in the face before making a hasty retreat.

"…"

"Are you all right?"

Bell was a little more than scared, the girl in front of him had managed to fend off an adventurer without even having thrown a punch.

He wiped off the sweat that had built up under his chin.

Whether he was sweating this much from staring down the man or from Lyu's display of power was up for debate.

'Is Lyu, maybe, an adventurer herself…?'

"Th-thank you very much. I was in a bit of a pinch there…"

"No, I'm sorry for getting in your way. I'm sure you could have dealt with this situation on your own just fine."

"I'm not so sure about that…"

Bell had been petrified. He couldn't see himself getting out of that alive.

He scratched his chin and avoided looking at her. "Um, Lyu, why are you here?"

"I was shopping for supplies to prepare for this evening. Unlike in the afternoon, adventurers visit our establishment in the evening. So if we are not fully stocked, many problems tend to occur. I happened to see you in the middle of my errand, and you know the rest."

'That makes sense. The Benevolent Mistress is a popular bar, so they would run out of ingredients and wine rather quickly.'

'Then again, "I know the rest"…We don't know each other very well. Maybe Lyu has a strong sense of justice?'

"What about you? Why are you here?"

"Well, you see, this girl here…Huh?"

Bell span around, looking for the prum girl, but she was gone. She had vanished into thin air.

"Was someone there?"

"Y-yeah. At least, I thought so…"

'She must have gotten scared and ran away.'

It couldn't be helped; even he was scared out of his wits.

'But that does seem kind of strange…'

"If you will excuse me, I will take my leave now."

"All right," Bell said. "And really, thank you so much."

They exchanged a quick bow and went their separate ways.

* * *

Bell arrived at the half-circle-shaped park built just off of North Main in about ten minutes excluding the earlier incident.

He had cooked up a plan to separate Ais and Eina by first going with Eina, quickly shopping and saying goodbye then going with Ais, making up an excuse for being late and then romantically walking home together after shopping.

There was only one flaw in the plan, he had told both Ais and Eina to meet at the same spot and they were now sitting on the same bench talking.

Eina was wearing clothes Bell had never seen her in before. Usually she was in a perfectly pressed Guild uniform, but today she was in a cute, lacy white blouse and a short skirt. 'She's got a good sense of fashion. I can't really look at her the same way I usually do.'

Bell's attention, however, was taken by the blonde sitting besides the half-elf.

Ais Wallenstein.

She wore a white, sleeveless top paired with a miniskirt. A beautiful floral pattern was sewn into the shirt just above the hem as an accent. It was a very simple combination, but the blond hair and feminine figure of the wearer made the garments come to life.

After trying to calm his rapidly beating heart but failing, Bell decided to approach the two girls and somehow sort out everything.

"Oh, Bell! Over here!" Eina called out noticing the boy awkwardly looking here and there.

Panic spread through him as he thought of a plan but now it was too late.

Bell let out a sigh, he couldn't avoid it any further.

"H-hey!...um..." Bell was at a loss of words in front of the Guild Adviser and the Sword Princess.

"Bell, hi." Ais said with an unnaturally angry face, making his already fast beating heart lose all limits, both in fear and at how cute the expression was.

"H-hello M-Ais, you look really nice." Bell quickly said, looking at his feet in embarrassment.

"Aw, no compliments for me?" Eina teased Bell, whose face was as red as his eyes.

"You look…well…much younger than usual." Bell said, speaking much less hesitantly as compared to Ais, something that didn't go unnoticed by Eina.

A smirk appeared on Eina's face, she needed to check something.

"Hey! I'm still only nineteen, you know!"

"Owowowowowow!"

Eina had gotten up from the bench and whipped her thin white arm around Bell's neck, putting him into a headlock.

Ais's face only angered further at Eina's antics, proving what Eina suspected.

"P-please, forgive meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Eina finally let go of Bell - to the visible relief of Ais - after a minute.

"S-so, how did you two meet?" Bell asked after recovering from his loss of air.

"Well, I arrived at the park to see Ais looking around, I asked her what was wrong, she told me that she was waiting for someone. I guess we began talking after that and we got here."

"Eina told me you asked her out on a date." Ais said menacingly at Bell.

"W-WHAT!? WAIT, MS. AIZ, YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG, I SWEAR!" Bell burst out, trying to protect his innocence in front of Ais.

Eina burst into laughter at that, causing both Ais and Bell to look at her.

"A-Ais, I-I was j-joking." Eina managed through uncontrollable laughter.

Ais's face instantly softened and she looked at Bell apologetically, "I'm sorry."

"N-no, I'm sorry."

"But seriously though Bell, if you wanted to invite another person, you could've just told me."

"I'm sorry, it all just happened so suddenly, you just told me to armor shopping with you, then my knife broke and Ais said that we were going weapon shopping and it was both on the same day…." Bell ranted on before finally stopping for air.

"Well, now that that's all sorted out, let's go! We can get armor first and then a new weapon." Eina said, wanting to get a move on.

"Alright, let's go." Ais chimed in as well.

"Um…..thank you both for helping me." Bell sincerely said.

"Oh no problem, now c'mon." Eina said, getting impatient.

"Eh!?"

Before Bell knew what was happening, Eina and Ais were on either side on him and leading him away.

* * *

 **I ended the chapter here because I still haven't decided on what to do about Bell's weapon. Also, I've decided to make the Ryuu blush thing happen because Bell just suddenly grabbed her hand -since you all are annoying.** **SPAM RYUUXBELL ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL FORKING KILL HER OFF. Well then, see you after my exams.**


	8. Double Date

**Right, I deleted Chp 7: Notice and that made Chp 8 into 7. I'm sorry for the confusion, I just had my docs arranged according to Chp 7: Notice not existing and it was confusing me...so I decided to confuse you...that sounds pretty selfish. Also, Ryuu was Lyuu because Bell forgot her name.**

 **I would also like to address another new bane of my existence, Guest users. I decided to PM replies and I can't reply to them, sad.**

 **Important note:  
** **The story is AisxBell,** **capiche? I won't make it a harem or add any other pairings with Bell, end of story. I can add pairings for other characters, such as...Ryuu/Syr (Why not...) in this story but I won't mess with the main pairing. If you want me to make another pairing such as Bell/Syr, I'll write a separate story for it, I don't multi-pairings or harems as I, as a writer, am not comfortable with them.**

 **On a lighter note, CAN WE HIT 200 FAVS FOR THE HOLIDAYS!?**

* * *

"Um, so...where are we going?" Bell asked from his spot between the two females dragging him away.

"Our destination is…the Dungeon." Eina remarked mysteriously.

"Whaaaaaaa?"

"The tower above the Dungeon—Babel, to be more specific."

The tower served as a lid over the Dungeon used to monitor and control the dungeon entrance. Since it was managed by the guild, it was a place that adventurers saw often.

"Isn't that place just public facilities like...showers for adventurers?" Bell asked, revealing again the extent of his knowledge related to adventuring.

"I thought you were his advisor; shouldn't you teach him such things?" Ais asked accusingly at Eina, these were basic things that any adventurer should know and she was slightly surprised that Bell didn't know them.

Slightly taken aback by the Sword Princess's comment, Eina coughed to regain and composure and reply.

"Well, it's not tha..."

"No, Miss Eina has actually been teaching me lots of things about the dungeon, it's just I haven't been an adventurer for very long and her lessons are...very long and informative, that's why I haven't learned this stuff yet, so it's more my fault than hers."

Both Ais and Eina were surprised at the speed at which Bell had spoken up to defend his guild advisor.

"Aww, aren't you a little sweetheart!" Eina said as she pinched Bell's cheek from the side, earning him a nice red face, it felt nice to have someone defend her honor, like a knight...even though the knight didn't even have armour, or a weapon, or any training.

"I thought you liked to keep your professional life separate from your personal one." Ais shot at the half-elf, unamused by her antics with Bell. She didn't know why, but she didn't like it when another female messed with Bell.

Realizing that she was attracting the dislike of a Level 5 adventurer, Eina decided to cut down on teasing Bell and to teach him something instead.

"Just like you said, there are shower rooms for adventurers as well as public facilities inside the tower under the Guild's control. Did you know there are a cafeteria, hospital, and even an Exchange in Babel?" Eina started, attempting to teach Bell the basics of the tower.

"Huh? I thought that the Exchanges at the Guild's main office and branches were the only ones."

"Nope, there is one here, too. But it is a little understaffed, so I hear the lines get a bit ridiculous. Anyway, one more thing. The Guild rents out open space to shops and merchants, and that's where we are going today."

"Oh, now I get it."

"Babel was built right on top of the Dungeon, so naturally all the shops there cater to adventurers. Many of them are run by mercantile familias that specialize. I imagine you've heard of Hephaestus Familia?"

"Um...yes."

"How much do you know about Hephaestus Familia, Bell?"

"Well, um, I know that the Familia makes very high-quality weapons and equipment that all adventurers want…"

"Yep, that's absolutely right. As it happens, we are going to a shop run by Hephaestus Familia today."

"Wh-whaaaat!?"

Bell's loud yelp made Eina have to cover her ears with a look of slight annoyance, Ais looked indifferent about the matter as they continued on.

"S-sorry, but the Hephaestus Familia!? Really?"

"Just wait, you'll see, besides..." Eina started with a side-glance at Ais, "You shouldn't have problems buying good equipment, what with being a member of the Loki Familia and all..."

"I'll pay for it," Ais interjected into the conversation. She was starting to have a distaste for the half-elf.

"Oh no, Miss Ais, I'll pay for it, you don't need to..."

"I'll pay it," Ais said again, this time with a much harsher tone and unnecessary added pressure to his arm.

"...A-alright..." Bell agreed with a wince as the pain started to set in.

"Come on, we're nearly there!" Eina said pointing to the Babel Tower through Central Park.

The park itself made a perfect circle with the tower in the middle, with trees planted all over and fountains built into the ground to give it the extra feel of a park.

An intimidating thing to Bell was that most people in Central Park were adventurers, with swords, spears and whatnot and the sheer amount of them was making his head spin despite the fact that the park was not full at all.

"Here we go, come on." Eina said as she and Ais both grabbed Bell's hand and led him to the tower.

Bell didn't know why, but he felt as though every male adventurer present were looking at him as though they wanted to murder him.

Looking up at the tower to calm down, Bell pleaded with them to stop.

"Ais, Ms. E-Eina, m-m-my hand…Please let go. I'm begging you…!"

"Since we're about to pay one of the top forging familias a visit, it would be a good idea to know a little about the Smiths themselves, right? Bell, do you know about 'Advanced Abilities'?" Eina starts another lecture, ignoring Bell's request.

Ais too did not leave Bell's hand and continued through the crowd.

* * *

The group soon arrived at the entrance of Babel Tower during Eina's lecture about skills and developmental abilities.

The entrance of the dungeon was right below their feet.

"From here...?"

"We go up. The shops in Babel start on the fourth floor."

While they climb the floors, Bell tried to spark up a conversation with Ais who had been mostly silent during the whole journey.

"A-Ais, I-I noticed you're not talking much...not that I want to be overly inquisitive or anything, it's just that..."

Bell's attempt at conversation that turned into rambling made Ais snap out of her thoughts and look at him with a small smile, making him even more fidgety.

"You're always so nervous Bell." Ais said with a gentle voice, causing him to slightly panic.

"It's just that...I wanted you to learn from the trip with Eina..."

This was only half the truth, in fact, the true reason that she had not been talking was that she had been put off by the half-elf, she had wanted to show Bell these things herself but now that Bell's guild advisor had come along, she had not wanted to talk, because of her slightly bad mood that she was trying not to show and so that Bell could learn properly.

Even Bell could tell something was wrong but since he didn't want to be a bother, he decided to back off from the topic.

"Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"For being there."

Bell had meant this comment at Ais's constant support for him but the three words hit the Swordswoman slightly differently, her eyes went slightly wide as a blush formed on the girl's normally stoic face.

To keep his heart from leaping out of his chest, Bell decided to closely inspect the suddenly interesting staircase

Up ahead, Eina slightly smiled at the interaction taking place between the two behind her, "Go get em, Bell." She muttered encouragingly to the boy, though he couldn't hear it as he was still trying to hide his own blushing face from Ais's.

"Ahem..." Eina's light cough signified that they were on the third floor.

There were several wide, circular pedestals on the floor of the lobby. Eina led them up onto one of them. A clear tube of something clear rose up around them. Bell swore it looked like glass…

Eina reached for some kind of control panel. The instant she touched it, the pedestal left the floor and began floating in midair.

It went as though it was growing upward.

"?!"

"A-ha-ha, I was the same way the first time." Eina said, noticing Bell's sudden panic.

It seemed that the pedestal and the glass were parts of a floor-transport device…Most likely a magic-stone device.

"That means that there must be a large number of magic stones beneath the pedestal, and their energy is being converted into lift."

Eina took a look at Bell's surprised face and explained that the magic stones needed to be changed out after a certain amount of time. "This thing doesn't just work forever, it turns out."

In no time at all, they reached the fourth floor of Babel.

"The shop I have in mind is a few more floors up, but as long as we're here, let's take a look around. You want to see the top-of-the-line equipment too, right, Bell?"

The entire floor was filled with weapon and armour shops. Bell would admit he got excited looking at all the sharp, shiny things. He nodded to Eina as they stepped off the pedestal.

There was only one sign on the whole floor: Ἥφαιστος. Don't tell me…all the shops here are part of Hephaestus Familia…?"

"I see you noticed the logo. Actually, all the shops from the fourth floor up to the eighth floor are owned by Hephaestus Familia."

"Just how powerful are they!?"

"You know, for being a member of the Loki Familia, you sure get intimidated easily." Eina remarked at Bell's slightly childish demeanour regarding other adventurers and familias.

"Haha, well, I haven't been in Orario for long, the influence is kind of new..."

"And there's nothing wrong with that." Ais said from his side, flaring to his defence.

"Ahem...oh look, that short sword costs...8 million valises...um...that crimson sword costs...Thirty million valises?!"

All the blood left Bell's face. He lifted his hand to his forehead, trying to steady himself. Next to him, Eina was giggling while Ais quietly looked at him with a small smile.

"Welcome to our store! Can I help you find anything today?"

The store clerk must have seen him staring and drooling at the sight of the crimson sword. She came up to greet the three in a bright, cheerful voice.

The girl was short, but she looked extremely professional, with a very well-rehearsed smile glued onto her glowing face. Twin black ponytails bounced around her head that made her look very cute indeed.

She wore a deep red apron-style uniform, which was being pushed up by breasts much too big for her body type, jiggling with her every movement…

"Aren't you Lady Hestia?" Ais asked, remembering Loki arguing with said goddess once over breast sizes.

Her smile instantly froze.

"You're one of Loki's kid, aren't you? Wallensomething...well you better tell that flat-chested..."

"Why are you working here?" Ais asked inquisitively, cutting Hestia off, she had never seen a deity working in a shop before.

"Well...Even gods have to throw away their pride when times get tough! And this is the only condition on which Hephaestus will let me stay at her place." The last part was said in a whisper though, so no one heard it.

Realizing what the problem was about, Ais decided to leave her questioning and instead addressed the group.

"We could try this shop."

"But it's so expensi..." Bell was cut off from his comment by Ais entering the shop along with Eina and the Goddess Hestia, leaving him to sigh and follow them into the shop.

The shop was filled with weapons of all shapes and sizes from long swords to spears to even a dual bladed pole. All of which were extremely pricey.

"Ah welcome, A-Ais Wallenstein!" An elder woman wearing a uniform similar to Hestia's suddenly leapt back a bit in surprise, causing some equipment off the shelves to fall.

"Excuse me," The lady said as she quickly arranged the fallen weapons.

"And you must be Bell Cranel, am I correct?" The woman had regained her composure and was now addressing the boy in the back.

"Um, y-yes?"

"The Hephaestus shopkeepers were told that when you arrived at any of our shops, we should get you your order from storage."

"Rich people..." Hestia muttered slightly as she went back to the counter.

A moment of confusion passed between Bell, Ais and Eina with each of them looking at each other in confoundment.

"My...order?"

"Yes, I'll have it delivered right away."

The lady left the shop to get the package while Bell looked on in confusion.

"I...didn't order anything..."

"Well someone did with your name." Eina said, "Might as well see what it is."

The group waited patiently in the shop with Hestia sneering at Ais's and Eina's chest for some supposed reason behind them from the counter.

Soon the lady returned with a box beneath her hand. "Here it is..."

The box was handed to Bell who put it on the counter of the shop to open it.

It was a black rectangular box reminiscent of a jewellery box.

"The suspense is killing me, open it!" Eina said, getting excited about the peculiar box.

Ais was leaning in as well, interested as to what the box held.

A black knife encased in a black sheath rests inside the box.

Bell slowly reached out to take the weapon. He stood there almost in shock as he took the blade from its protective cover. The handle and sheath are black; the blade is no exception.

The black knife doesn't curve like a claw. It as straight as an arrow.

Plus, a series of complicated markings decorate the edges.

It starts glowing a deep purple in his hand, almost as if it is responding to his touch.

The entire group stood there, admiring the weapon and its beauty. It felt sacred, as if it was created by the gods themselves.

"Divine Knife made by Hephaestus herself, one of a kind." The shopkeeper said as the group stood in awe.

"Hephaestus!?" Even Hestia was surprised, she had been friends with the god for a long time but she had never seen such craft from her.

"Who made the order? Has it been paid for?" Eina asked, being the first to inquire about the knife.

"Um...it was your deity, she paid for it."

"Loki?"

"Yep!"

Guilt filled Bell's stomach at the thought of Loki buying something so expensive, just for him.

"I... can't take this...it's so beyond me, I don't even deserve it."

"What?" Eina was surprised at Bell's reaction, she would have thought that he would've been totally accepting of his deity's gift to him.

"I mean, I feel as though she's already done so much and now this...I can't..."

"Bell, whatever Loki did for you, she did for a reason, she...may not be the most well-behaved deity but she does mean good, if she wanted you to have the knife, you should, and besides...it was custom made for you, so you not using it will be the biggest waste ever." Ais reassured him, the knife had made her happy as it showed how well Bell was fitting in the familia. She knew how difficult it had been when she had first joined so she was glad that Bell was getting along with Loki.

Those words surprised Ais herself, usually, she had a really hard time trying to express her words but this was the first time she had been able to freely speak her mind, maybe it was because of Bell.

"Yeah, like Ms. Wallenstein said, your goddess had it made specifically for you and if you don't use it...then...you'll just be ungrateful."

Bell took a deep breath as he thought it over, they were right, the weapon was his and he should use it.

"Alright...well, that solves the issue of the weapon."

"Now we just need the armour."

* * *

After thanking the shopkeeper and Hestia, Bell placed the divine knife on his belt and the group went to the elevator once more - after Bell dodged Ais's offer of buying armour from that floor - and arrived on an upper floor soon after.

"This is us."

"We're here…"

Eina pushed open the glass to reveal another level inundated with shops just like the fourth floor.

Swords, spears, axes, war hammers, blades, bows and arrows, shields, armour, and many other pieces of equipment were on display at all the shops on this wide floor. The only difference was that there were more customers—more adventurers—here.

That thought made Bell flinch for a moment.

Ais lightly smiled at the scene, "I haven't been here in a long time."

"You're thinking that you don't have a place shopping at Hephaestus Familia's shops, aren't you, Bell?" Eina started.

Bell wasn't in the best mood at that point and shot her a look saying it's a little late for that now. But then he nodded and agreed with her.

Eina looked down on him like a queen over a servant, grinning.

"Actually, that's not completely true. But, seeing is believing! Follow me."

Eina guided Bell into the nearest shop—a spear shop by the looks of it.

Leading him to the very back wall of the shop, she stopped in front of a spear rack. All of the combat-ready spears stood on end, blades facing the ceiling.

Just as Bell started thinking of the prices again, his eyes caught the price tag: 12,000 valises.

"H-huh…?"

He might be able to afford this.

"Hee-hee, surprised, aren't you?"

"W-well, yes, but why?"

The price was unbelievable to Bell. Shocking, even. Eina sounded like she was awfully pleased when she asked if he was surprised, too.

Even though Ais kept insisting that she would pay for his equipment, he wasn't actually gonna keep letting her pay for his stuff. This place was a haven for him.

Bell was still staring at the spears, though.

"What sets Hephaestus Familia apart from other smiths is that they have even their most inexperienced members make items and sell them in their shops."

"Is that…okay? I mean, compared to the masters…"

"Of course, those weapons are not sold next to ones made by master smiths. But the new smiths get valuable business experience and they can sell their work directly to adventurers. It's a real plus for the younger smiths to get feedback—both the good and the really harsh. It all helps motivate them to make better and better weapons."

Bell was a bit surprised, but then again it made perfect sense. Rather than being restricted to experimenting or practising, getting comments and criticism from people in the real world would be a lot more motivating.

"It's good for the stores, too. They can sell these weapons to very low-level adventurers and get more customers."

So that newbies could be brought in along with the all-stars. Once the rookies get stronger, they can afford better weapons from the same shop, like a pyramid.

The shops draw in as many of the new adventurers as they can to build as many relationships as possible. When the adventurers level up, they become regulars of that shop and buy high-level weapons.

That's what's special about Orario. The large population of adventurers brings out all kinds of benefits and possibilities.

"The most important thing here is that new adventurers and new smiths form bonds early in their careers. Doesn't matter if it's weak or strong."

Bell expressed his confusion through his eyes.

"New smiths are discovered by new adventurers through the items the smith makes. If an adventurer remembers the smith's name, they might have a client. Very talented—but unpolished—smiths can be hidden in the rough of the business, just waiting for an adventurer with an eye for quality to find them. They might not become close friends, but adventurers who have used their items in combat, felt their armour on their skin, will give the most valuable feedback."

'…Makes sense when she puts it like that. At the very least, I feel that way about my dagger and light-armour provisions from the Guild.'

"Smiths can bring out special properties in the items they make if they are forging them for someone in particular, especially if there is a strong bond between the Smith and the adventurer…Or at least they claim."

Eina lightly stuck out her tongue. Bell froze in place.

Never in his wildest dreams would he ever have imagined Eina doing something so…childish.

Ais soon entered the shop while dusting her clothes with her hands.

"Everything alright?" Bell asked her, noticing she didn't seem too happy.

"You two left me out there with all the people wanting to meet me." Ais said with annoyance seeping into her tone, she was less concerned about the people surrounding her as she was with Bell leaving her to go with the half-elf.

"O-oh, I-I'm sorry," Bell said, bowing his head in sincere regret and apology, "I just thought you were exploring around."

Ais let out a smile at the boy's actions, it was nearly impossible for her to be mad at him for some reason. "It's alright."

"Anyway Bell, kind of got sidetracked a little bit there, but what I'm saying is that there are items made by Hephaestus Familia that are in your price range. How much do you have on you right now?" Eina said, calculating the prices of armour in her head.

"Um, should be right about ten thousand valises."

"Which you won't need to use..." Ais added into the conversation.

"I wonder if we'll be able to find you a full set of new armour. Like I said before, there are diamonds in the rough made by raw ore smiths. We just need to dig them up! Let's go!"

Eina seemed more excited than anyone else. It's was all Bell could do to force a smile now that he had come to his senses a bit.

Eina led him to a shop that has a sign outside equipped with armour and a shield. Eina suggested, with a peppy smile on her face, that they split up to cover more ground. So he set foot inside without her or Ais.

The view from Bell's first step inside the establishment was that it was like nothing he had ever seen before.

'Just look at these! Were they really all made by lower-level smiths? Everything looks amazing!'

Looking into the forest of armour was the third greatest highlight of his day so far. The second being the knife and the first being...Ais's blush. Bell had to shake that thought out of his head to focus on the armour.

Pure white mannequin chests wore many different shapes and kinds of armour. It didn't matter that the head and arms were missing, the chest looks very dignified. A few full-bodied mannequins were equipped with the works. Bell could clearly see himself wearing those armoured plates in battle.

Shield and battle helmets on shelves lined the walls. Some looked impenetrable, some were simply gorgeous—there was something for everyone.

Male and female customers filled the shop, all looking for a piece of armour that suited them. It looked like you could try on the armour, too.

Bell was starting to get uncontrollably excited as he wondered what he should do now.

As he took in the sights and sounds, his eyes were drawn to a spot at the back of the shop.

It was the most ordinary-looking corner of the store. There was a box filled with equipment pieces just sitting there.

'Are they…armour pieces?'

"The rest of the store's stock was equipped on the mannequins, so were these junk boxes?" Bell thought, "They're just lying here like a pile of trash. Wait, there is another box next to it and a few more after that. I guess these must be the items that the familia deemed not worth putting on display."

He was sure they wouldn't sell them if they were faulty, but maybe there were some imperfections or something like that.

"Ah, yep, they're for sale…"

There was a price tag on the bottom of each box: 5,700 valises, 6,800 valises, 3,900 valises…All the prices are written in red ink by different people, but all of them were quite cheap.

The full set of armour that he saw toward the front of the store was 15,000 valises, and his current light armour from the Guild was 5,000…"Yep, I've probably got the right idea. These are in my price range."

Then again, Eina would say that this is something that's going to save his life, so he shouldn't be stingy.

"…?"

He suddenly stopped in front of a box in the middle of the row.

This armor—its spirit was calling to him from within the line of boxes.

Silver. Rather than having a reddish tint or darker black hues, this one shone like pure white metal.

No flashy colours or fancy decorations, it looked like it had just finished cooling from the forge. It was tugging at his heartstrings.

Bell bent down to get a closer look; it was light armour.

There were knee guards and a small breastplate designed to fit snugly against the chest. Under those pieces, he found wrist and elbow guards, along with a plate that covers the lower back. It was built to protect the bare minimum of the body to allow for maximum mobility. Kind of a patchwork armour.

Lifting up the breastplate, he discovered it was very light—much lighter than his provision armour from the Guild. Just hitting it a few times didn't tell him much, but Bell thought it was sturdier than his Guild armour, too. At least it felt like it.

It was just his size…This was almost scary.

"I think I'm in love."

It might be because this was the first one he had picked up.

But suddenly all he could see was himself wearing this armour.

He held the breastplate up to the light for a closer look. Flipping it around, there it was: the maker's signature was on the inside. "Welf Crozzo."

It looked like the armour had not been deemed worthy of the "Ἥφαιστος" name.

"Welf Crozzo…I'll remember that."

Bell's brain snatches the name from the armour like a hawk snatches a fish out of the water. It was a smith's name that he would be looking for from here on out.

Eina told him about the bond between adventurers and smiths. He guessed this was what it felt like.

He was already set on this light armour. He wanted to buy it, right now.

He looked at the price of the armour to see it was 9,900 valises, nearly all his money

That's almost all of my money…

"Hey-y, Bell! I found something really good! A protector and leather armour! They're a little expensive, but it would be a good idea to get at least one of…Oh? Did you find something?"

Eina had returned, no sign of Ais though. She bent down over him, an unimpressed look on her face.

Maybe she didn't like it because it was being sold in a box, as though that was somehow proof of its poor quality.

"…Are you getting that?"

"Yes. I'm buying this."

"Haaa…You really have a thing for light armour, don't you? Just when I found some good things for you, too…"

"I'm sorry."

Eina saw his shoulders shrink, as he didn't have anything else he could say. She forced a smile and waved it off. "Don't worry about it. You are the one who's going to wear it. I do want you to think about your safety a bit more…but if you've decided to buy this, that's good enough for me."

"…Thank you."

He stood back up again and picked up the box.

After making his way to the counter and paying for it - thanks to Eina sending Ais away - he only had 100 valises left…

Today had gotten very expensive.

"Huh…?"

Eina was gone again. Bell turned around with his new armour in a box strapped to his back, looking for her.

Just when he began to wonder where she could've gone, he found her. She had been standing right behind him, a sparkling smile on her face. Maybe she had just come out of the shop?

"Bell, here."

"…What?"

She leisurely handed him a long, narrow vambrace.

It fitted just over the wrist and extended up the arm to the elbow. He could tell from the outer shell that it was designed to be used as a shield. The armour was the same colour as Eina's eyes, emerald green.

"I-is this…?"

"It's a present from me, so please use it, okay?"

"Whaa? N-no, I can't accept this! I'm giving it back!"

"Whaaat? Are you saying you can't accept a girl's present?"

"N-no, it's not that…I just feel so pathetic! With Loki already getting me the knife, Ais offering to pay for my armour and now this." With sweat pouring down his face, he blurted out how he really felt. No matter how much older she was older than him, getting a present from a girl like this…It felt like he had done something wrong.

Eina flashed a big smile as Bell's shoulders start melting again.

"I want you to have it. Not for me, for you."

"Wha…?"

"The truth is, adventurers never really know when they'll die. Even ones who are really strong just disappear as if by the whim of a god. I've known many who didn't come back."

"…"

"…I'd like you not to be one of them, Bell. O-ho, I guess this present is for me, after all."

Eina laughed a bit to herself but never took her eyes off him, those tranquil eyes.

"Is that bad?" She asked as he looked down at the floor.

His reddening face was hidden by his hair.

He didn't have what it took to refuse her gift after that.

"…And Bell, you said that you loved me."

"He said what!?" Ais had returned, in a rather foul mood and at the worst possible moment.

All the colour faded from Bell's face as he jerked his head up to see the newcomer. Everytime Bell saw Ais's face show emotions, it sent shocks to his heart how cute she looked when she left her usually phlegmatic face. However, Bell realized now was not the time to be thinking such thoughts and pushed them back for another time.

Eina was blushing as well but she too followed Bell's lead and regained her composure.

"That was, well…I was just so happy that Eina was encouraging me that I just jokingly said it out loud!"

"I was happy too, that you said you loved me. I realize you didn't mean it 'that' way."

Ais let out a sigh, she was looking forward to leaving Eina behind.

"It's not just because of that, but I want to give you strength. You've been working so hard, and I want to help you. Will you accept it, please?" Eina said, addressing Bell again.

Bell's nose was starting to run and he wiped it with his sleeve while nodding.

"Thank you…very much…"

"You're welcome."

Bell could feel a gentle warmth flowing from the emerald protector on his arm.

Getting angrier at the intimate moment happening, Ais decided to but in and change the topic.

"Did you already buy the armour?" Ais asked, noticing the box strapped to his back.

"Um, yes."

* * *

Ais was angry, very much so. She had thought that she was going to have a nice day out with Bell but an unexpected guest had ruined her planned day and what's more so was that the half-elf seemed much too friendly with him.

Bell had not nearly paid her any attention at all as he had spent most of his time with Eina and that frustrated her to no end. She wasn't the type of person to seek the attention of others, gods know she has enough of that already, but she badly wanted the attention of Bell and she didn't even know why.

Her talk with Bell when they were climbing the stairs was the best thing that had happened the whole day, though she didn't know why her heart had begun beating so fast at that moment. She hadn't even been able to buy Bell anything because he had paid for his armour on his own and she couldn't find anything to get him in any of the shops either.

And to top it all off, Bell had told Eina that he loved her. That part, that part was what really ground her gears. Albeit he had said it jokingly, the half-elf had been blushing madly, making Ais question her intentions.

And so, Ais was now walking with Bell broodingly back to The Twilight Manor.

"Ais, what's that?" Bell asked, noticing large crates being transported in a large line to somewhere by what looked like adventurers.

They were more cages than crates with some boxes with holes for air while some were fully barred prisons for something big. They all held what seemed like a fainted or sleeping monster.

"Hmm? Oh, they're being transported for tomorrow's Monsterphilia."

"Monsterphilia…?"

"I guess you wouldn't know about it...Monsterphilia is an event put on once a year by Ganesha Familia. Monsters are taken from either the dungeon or outside and they are tamed in the stadium in front of thousands of people watching."

"Huh?… T-tame?!"

"I don't like it much either...but it's a festival adored by the citizens of Orario, Tiona likes it the most though in the familia."

"But...taming!?"

"Taming has been recognized as a skill...a person proves him- or herself more powerful than a monster. In turn, the monster obeys that person's commands."

"Oh, wow..."

A sudden idea struck through Ais's mind like a lightning bolt. "We...could go see the festival together?"

"Ah!? Um, I wouldn't want to be a bother...and you just said that you don't like it..." Bell's thought process was interrupted by a pout from Ais, making his entire mind go blank.

"The festival happening inside the city is different from the event at the stadium, please?"

The last word was said with some emotion seeping into Ais's tone, breaking any and all will Bell ever had.

"O-ok!"

* * *

By the time Bell and Ais arrived at The Twilight Manor, it was pretty late and both were tired.

They both went inside together - with tightly linked arms, Ais's insistence - and separated so that Bell could go on ahead to thank Loki for his knife.

As Ais made her way to her room, she saw Tione still awake and struck up a conversation with her.

"How was your date?"

"I-It wasn't a date." Ais said, a light blush beginning to form on her face. "But...it...was bad..."

"Oh? How so?"

"There was this half-elf..."

"And you got jealous?"

Annoyed at the Amazon's words and how they might have been true, Ais left without answering, prompting a smile from Tione.

When she arrived at her room, Bell was standing there, ready to enter the room beside hers...which she had thought was empty.

"Bell?"

"Huh? Yes?"

"Your room is besides mine...I forgot." Ais said, her lips upturning knowing that Bell was safe near her. Safe from other women.

"Oh, yeah. I told you the day we apologized."

"I forgot after that, and I never noticed, sorry."

"No, no, I was just trying to be sneaky and not be seen by you because...of reasons."

"Well, Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

After saying the pleasantries, Ais entered her room and changed from her dress into some more comfortable clothes.

As she lay in bed, no matter how much she tossed and turned, sleep did not come. Instead, the day's events played before on a loop in her mind, more specifically, Eina's actions. And the more they came, the more her heart ached.

Once this reached a climax, Ais got up to knock on Bell's door, he was the reason for all this...stuff...happening in her heart and mind, he should help get it away.

After a while, Bell opened his door groggily while stifling a yawn, also having changed into more comfortable clothes.

Noticing Ais's...lighter clothing, an intense blush formed on the boy's cheeks as he avoided eye contact with the girl...or her clothes.

"Y-yes? D-do you n-need a-anything?"

Before Bell knew what was happening, Ais grabbed the boy's wrist and led him to her room, similar to the first time but she was more in control this time.

"A-Ais? A-are y-you drunk a-again!?" Bell said as he tried to fight with her grip but she was still too strong.

"You're making up for today." She replied simply, causing his head to spin in confusion as he was dragged into the room and the door shut with a _clink,_ signifying it being locked.

* * *

 **Btw,I don't know if you guys can review or not because I changed Chapter 8 to 7, the reviews for the chapter 8 stay on this chapter and has a 1 review policy but if you can't...the mobile app allows 2 reviews per chapter, I hope you guys understand what I'm saying *wink wink* (It means download the mobile app and review it)**


	9. Awakening

**Guys, they only cuddled at the end of the last chapter, get your minds out of the gutter, thanks.**

 **Alright, regarding some 'concerns' about Ais's behaviour.**

 **I've made Ais less of an airhead but she is still an airhead. She's not supposed to be emotionless, it's just that she had troubles expressing herself and knowing what to say along with the fact that she is mentally young - the reason for her airheadedness. If you guys knew this you wouldn't keep reviewing stuff like that, go read the light novels or something, sheesh. It's that Bell is causing her to be truer to her emotions, something he also does in the main series. So again, go read if you doubt me.**

 **A good explanation of this would be in Kevhunt06's words from the Danmachi fandom page. "Ais's emotional range is affected by the fact she suffers from PTSD and depression, particularly the emotional numbness symptoms, all of her odd behaviours, lack of emotional response, lack of emotional understanding, tendency to take extreme risks, self-isolation, trouble processing what is going on around her, seeming robotic, and trouble following social cues fit uncannily into this brand of depression.**

 **When I said the question is what caused her to be this way not why she is an airhead I meant literally asking yourselves about why Ais to acts and suffers the way she does. She does show a startling lack of emotional range and ability to comprehend other peoples emotion, but she also shows a normal level of intelligence. Her friends mostly assume she is just mysterious or airheaded but in reality it a much bigger problem."**

 **I've used Bell as Ais's coping mechanism, it's a fanfic, I can do what I want, that's the point.**

 **By the way, reviewing with several guest users saying the same thing is unappreciated, it doesn't help you get what you want, I deleted the other review, you know who you are**.

* * *

Ais was awoken by the sunlight pouring straight on his face from the window. Seeing Bell cuddled in beside her, she quickly remembered what she had done the last night.

Her face instantly began heating up at the memory, something that was new, Bell had slept in her bed before but it had nowhere near the same effect.

Ignoring her strange, rapidly beating heart - she wasn't scared or tired so she didn't know why it was doing that - Ais realized she had to hurry as the festivities of the event outside of the taming began really early.

"Bell, wake up." Ais lightly shook the boy awake, she knew Loki was gonna come after her to go with her and she needed to get out of the manor before that.

"Aissss..." Bell slightly opened his eyes to meet golden ones looking at him in annoyance.

A sudden jolt went through the boy realizing who they belonged to, causing him to abruptly get up.

"A-Ais! Oh, right, last night..." Bell said as it slowly dawned upon him with a reddening face what had happened last night.

"We don't have that much time. Go to your room and get dressed." Ais said with a bossy tone, something that caused a pleasureful ting to go through him - something he hoped the girl didn't notice, he didn't want to be labelled a pervert so soon - and Bell began to make his way over to the door.

A sudden knock on the door caused panic to spread to both through the swordswoman and the boy.

"Heyyy Ais! It's Tiona, are you awake yet? I was thinking we could go to the city together before the main event begins, you bought that cute outfit with us for that, right?"

"Alright, wait up." Ais replied much to the confusion of Bell.

Getting up and leaning closer to Bell so that the girl waiting outside could not listen, Ais lightly whispered in Bell's ears, "I'll get dressed and go with them, after they leave you can go and get dressed and we can meet up at the festival, alright?"

"Sure..." He replied still confused but accepting of the situation.

Now, a blush slightly began to form on the girl's face, confusing him even further. "Turn around, I'm gonna get dressed."

"Waaaaah!?"

"Hurry up."

"Alright, alright."

Bell turned around as the sound of clothes being discarded filled the room, making his entire body heat up as he controlled his urge of 'accidentally' turn around.

'Damnit Grandpa, why did your teachings need to kick in now?"

"Alright, you can turn around now."

Bell did so and his breath was once again taken. Yes, he had seen her in the same outfit the previous day but that wasn't how love worked, was it?

The only addition to the outfit was the sword on her left but he decided to chalk it off as an Ais thing.

"Alright, now hide beside the bed." Ais's sudden voice interrupting his thoughts, he did as he was told until the voices outside the room disappeared.

Once he was sure no one was outside, Bell quickly leapt out of Ais's room and back into his own.

Evaluating his collection of clothes, Bell decided his best ones were his regular ones. Despite his grandfather boasting about teaching him about how to impress women, he never did teach him how to impress one.

Quickly slipping out of the room, Bell was unfortunately met with someone waiting for him. A red-haired goddess.

"Bellllll!" Loki said, quickly linking her right arm with the boy's left and dragging him out.

"Wha?"

"Well, you see, I need someone to come with me to a meeting, and I can't find anyone! It seems the whole manor went to the festival."

"R-really? It's still pretty early."

"Yeah, well, the early morning festivities are the real staples of Monsterphillia and it'll get really crowded later on so they all leave early."

"By the way, get your weapon. I need a bodyguard."

"Eh? Is a Level 1 sufficient for a bodyguard?"

"You'll be fine..."

"W-well, I sorta had an arrangement with someone for today..."

"Ah, you'll be free in a jiffy, now come on!"

"O-ok." Bell said in a low voice as he quietly resolved himself to his fate.

* * *

"You alright Ais?" Tione asked, noticing the girl not being interested in anything happening around her, even Jagamarukun, which she was only half-heartedly eating.

"Y-yes, I'm alright..." Ais answered, not really paying attention to the girl's words.

"Alright, something is definitely wrong..." Tiona said, joining in on the conversation from the side.

"DID BELL DO ANYTHING WEIRD TO YOU YESTERDAY MISS AIZ!?" Lefiya asked menacingly, getting ready to hunt down the rabbit, no matter where he may be.

"N-no Lefiya, he was actually very nice yesterday." Ais said, wanting to protect Bell from Lefiya's scrutiny but ending up blushing at the memory, something that didn't go unnoticed by the three people present besides the Sword Princess.

"I gotta go now." Ais abruptly said, leaving the group and deciding to head off on her on.

"Ais, wait!" Tiona called out but it was too late, Ais had run off quicker than she could react.

"Where is he?" Ais muttered to herself as she looked for the boy.

* * *

East Main Street was alive with the songs and voices of the citizens of Orario.

It was about nine o'clock in the morning. While most adventurers were already prowling the Dungeon, throngs of townspeople were gathering on the streets.

A line of food stalls ran down the middle of the street, another two lines along the sides. Sounds and smells of their various confections spread out over an ocean of humanity. The street itself was decorated with long ribbons and vibrant flowers. Flags of many colours flew in the morning breeze. Some of them had the silhouette of particularly vicious monsters printed on them. The others had an elephant's head, the emblem of Ganesha Familia.

A young animal boy, his face red with excitement, pulled his mother's arm as they plunged into the crowd. The sun itself seemed to be celebrating the day, its bright yellow beams lighting up the sky.

East Main had been completely transformed by the fair.

"…"

The line of fairgoers ran from the east gate all the way up to the stadium itself. A pair of silver eyes watched them inch along from above the street.

From the second floor of a café, to be exact.

The café had a wooden interior and a very laid-back atmosphere. One woman was sitting at a table next to a glass window facing the street. She was wearing a navy blue cloak to prevent her face, and snowy-white skin, from being seen.

However, one layer of cloth was not enough to contain this person's beauty.

Even though her face was well hidden under a hood, every set of eyes in the café was trained on her. Whenever she would trace the lip of her cup with her delicate fingers or her elegant chin peeked out from under her hood for a moment, everyone around her held their breath. Many people who happened to see her stopped and stared.

All of them were fascinated by someone doing almost nothing. Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, ignored them and kept her eyes on the street below.

"…"

She was watching the many people of Gekai, the children.

Humans, animal people, dwarves, elves. A few adventurers were sprinkled in among the colours of these different races.

Freya thoroughly scanned them with her sharp eyes.

Creaks in the wooden floor announced the arrival of a few customers.

Freya stopped the examination and turned to greet the newcomers.

"Yo! Sorry to keep ya waitin'!"

"Not at all. I just got here myself."

Freya smiled under her hood at the person waving at her from the head of the stairwell.

The newcomer's hair was a subdued shade of red, the hue of an evening sky. It was tied back into a small ponytail. Her shirt and pants were worn out and faded. If Freya had not known her, she might have thought this person was male.

Fighting back a yawn and with tears in her eyes, Loki smiled back at the cloaked figure.

"Haven't had breaky yet. Mind if I grab a bite?"

"Do as you please."

Loki pulled up a chair across from Freya and sat down. Freya continued to smile her usual smile, not reacting to Loki at all. The two of them had an air about them, like friends who had known each other for a very long time.

"I heard you had quite the night after the Ganesha's party. Crawled into a bottle and passed out, did you? Hee-hee-hee, Hestia's something else, isn't she?"

Remembering the goddess Hestia's name, Bell listened more intently into the conversation.

"Where'd ya hear that, boobs for brains?"

"I overheard some of your cute children. They had themselves quite the laugh."

"Those bastards, always havin' a good time without me!"

Freya had invited Loki to this café to talk at nine in the morning.

It had been a few days since the party. The two goddesses were only here because of Freya's request.

"So when are you going to introduce that boy standing behind you?"

"Eh, he's a new member of my Familia."

"This is the first time for us to meet face-to-face."

Loki had not been alone when she entered the café.

Standing awkwardly and nervously behind Loki with his hand on his knife's sheath was a young boy with white hair and red eyes that Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, couldn't look away from.

"'K then, this is my Bell. That 'nough for ya? Bell, this is a goddess, ya should at least say 'ello."

"...N-nice to m-meet you." Bell shakingly managed, the goddess was unnerving her beyond measure and her gaze on him was very familiar.

Freya muttered, "Rabbit," under her breath as her eyes skimmed over the boy.

Bell Cranel was a very interesting specimen to Freya, the boy's actions showed his innocence and naiveness and his soul was transparent, something she had never seen before. He had potential, great one as she had seen by his actions in the dungeon, though he needed a push.

A boy with his looks didn't look like one that would take up a dangerous profession like adventuring, at least take it and survive for more than a day. Someone who didn't know him could never have known the burning passion in the boy's heart to grow stronger, the passion that made him so much stronger than others.

"Ya can take a seat," said Loki as the boy with red, anxious face nodded and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"He is very cute. And also… Yes. I can see why you have taken a liking to this one."

Bell's red eyes met Freya's silver ones. Bell tried to keep his face emotionless as he lowered his head in a polite bow but the gaze of the goddess was burning through him.

"Can I ask why you brought him here with you?"

"Fu-he-he-heee… It's the Fair, yah? It's no fun going alone, and I couldn't find any girl to take on a date with me."

Loki's eyes twinkled, a vulgar smile on her lips.

"Well, that and he's got his weapon back. He'll be back in the Dungeon in no time. That's just him."

"…"

"Someone's gotta tell 'im to relax, don' they?"

Loki patted the boy's head as she spoke. Bell looked down, deciding not to speak up.

Freya looked at the warmth in Loki's thin eyes and couldn't help but remember how she was before coming here. Loki had been quite the troublemaker in Tenkai.

"Well, then, I think it's about time ya tell me why I'm here."

"I just wanted to chat. It's been a while."

"Lyin' through yer teeth."

Loki sent a smirk at Freya, still smiling under her hood. She matched Freya's tone to the letter. The "old friends" aura was gone.

A waiter was unlucky enough to come to take their order at that very moment. Stuck between two lightning rods, he stood silent and motionless at the head of the table as if he had been chained down.

As for Bell, he kept his face devoid of emotion and chose to watch quietly from the side.

"I'll ask ya again, why?"

"I don't understand. What's the matter, Loki?"

"Come on, moron."

Freya turned to the waiter, still motionless at the head of the table, and flashed him a smile. The man's eyes opened like floodgates, his face turning beet red. He broke out in a cold sweat before quickly turning around and wasting no time leaving the area.

Loki watched him leave for a moment before returning her raptor-like gaze back to Freya.

"Ya been strange recently. Ya claim not to be interested in the party, but poke yer head in at the last minute. Say yer there for information? Ya don' care about that, ya never have… What are ya scheming?"

"Scheming…? Why do you make it sound so evil?"

"Shut ya mouth."

Loki followed it with saying that strange things happened when Freya acted like this. She went on to say that if it got in her way, she'd end it herself. Loki didn't blink, her red eyes adding weight to her words.

Freya didn't back down, meeting Loki's eyes with her own. The look on Loki's face could have killed a serpent, but Freya took it head-on, smiling. Invisible sparks flew; the pressure of their conversation filled the room. The café emptied in no time flat.

Bell had a front-row seat to the clash of goddesses that seemed to go on forever. Until…

Loki got tired and backed down.

The tension instantly evaporated, and Loki continued in a more relaxed voice: "A man, isn't it?"

"…"

Her gaze slightly turned to Bell who felt the pressure from the goddess's eyes would end him.

Freya didn't answer, just kept smiling.

Loki took it as an affirmation.

She let out a deep, long sigh. She had seen this too many times already.

"So… Ya got an eye for a child already in another Familia, I take it?"

All of the gods and goddesses knew about Freya's "habits" when it came to men.

Once a male on Gekai caught her eye, she made a move. Her beauty was powerful enough to make her target her own. Exactly how many men had fallen under her spell, no one knew.

Loki reasoned that Freya's target was most likely not in her own Familia. Therefore, the reason she came to the party in the first place was to figure out whose Familia the target was in.

Obviously going after someone already in another Familia, to take them away from it, would not go over well. The god of the other Familia would not sit by and do nothing. Freya was picking a fight. If the other side was strong, she'd get rejected and wallow in despair until she found her next target. She was being cautious, gathering information before she made her move. That was what Loki was thinking, anyway.

Freya didn't try to deny Loki's words.

"Jeez, woman. Is that all ya think about? Ya'll go after anyone, young or old?"

"How rude. I do have standards."

"Leaving out all the bumbling idiots on Tenkai you pull fast ones on?"

"They have their uses. I'm quite skilled at getting money out of them."

Loki cleared her throat. The witch was putting up all of her dirty laundries. Loki raised an eyebrow at her fellow goddess. Freya shrugged, but only just enough for the fabric on her cloak to bend ever so slightly.

Thinking that there was nothing left to be said, Loki put her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair so much that the front feet came off the floor.

Freya also let her guard down and took a sip from her now-cold cup. They both had an answer, and the mood finally cleared.

A clear, sunny sky spread out from the window beside them. The noises of the street were pouring into the café.

Freya's navy blue cloak swayed in a light breeze rolling in from an open window.

"And?"

"…?"

"Who's the guy? What child are ya after now? When'd ya find 'im?"

Loki leaned her head to the side as if to say, "Spill it."

Now she was interested. Unlike Freya, Loki loved details.

If she didn't get the goods now, she'd leave.

"…"

"I came all this way, changed my plans. I have the right to know."

Freya looked away from the goddess giving her demands and cast her gaze back out onto the street.

The hood of Freya's cloak opened enough for Loki to see her silver eyes go clear as if she was thinking about something in the past.

"… He's not that strong. Weak if you compare him to some of the other children in our Familias. Easily upset, he starts bawling at the simplest of problems… That kind of child." All this was said with Freya lightly rubbing her foot against Bell causing him to jolt up in his seat, earning him a look from Loki.

The word "but" was on the tip of her tongue.

"He was beautiful, pure. I've never seen anything like him."

And that was why she'd fallen for him.

She heard a melody that most could not, coming from a flame within him. A soprano.

"I found him by accident. He just happened to walk across my line of vision."

As she talked, Freya thought about every detail of the second she'd first laid eyes on him. She made sure that she didn't make that much contact with Bell that Loki would get suspicious.

"It was just like this…"

Early morning, brisk air, fresh sunlight, West Main.

He'd come from the other end of the street.

Looking back at Bell once again, Freya watched him for a moment. A new smile, a scary smile, grew on her lips.

"I apologize. Something has come up."

"Eh?"

"Let's do this again soon."

Loki collapsed to the table in stunned disappointment. Freya was already out of her chair.

She adjusted her cloak as she went down the stairs and out of the building.

Only Loki and Bell were left in the café.

"What kinda person just leaves ya hangin' like that…?"

"It's me."

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure she's after me. I recognized her stare, she's been watching me..."

Loki stared at the staircase for a moment from where Freya had left, her eye twitching.

Bell, however, suddenly got a new interest as his eyes were glued to the window.

"What's up, Bell? Somethin' wrong?"

"… No."

He went on to say, "It's nothing," but he didn't look away.

His red eyes had caught glimpse of a blonde going hurridly through the crowd.

"I have to go." Bell said suddenly before leaving as quick as Freya as left.

"Huh? Bell? ...Didn' expect to be ditched by 'im."

Loki was left grumbling to herself with a goddess after one of her members and a bill.

* * *

"Ais!"

"Huh?"

Ais looked around to spot the source of the voice to see Bell rushing up to her as fast as he could through the crowd of people.

"There you are, where were you?" Ais asked Bell accusingly, her tone had traces of agitation, causing Bell to gulp.

"It was Loki, she took me to a meeting with another goddess. I'm really sorry, I came as fast as I could."

Letting out a sigh, Ais let it be and accepted his apology.

"Alright, at least you came. We have plenty of time now."

She was making Bell a bit nervous by not telling him anything, the suspense was killing him of what they were actually supposed to do.

"What happened to Tiona and the others...they're not near here, are they!?" Bell didn't want a repeat of the bar, that kind of embarrassment was enough once.

"I...left them...to come find you."

Bell's heart began to pound, Ais had ditched the others for him, he was feeling pretty good.

Ais looked around the fair, taking in the sights and sounds. She had been in the fair for some time but she had not really looked around that much, she had not wanted to without Bell.

"Come on, let's go...do something fun." Ais said with a childish pout.

"Ehhhhh!?"

Bell's shoulders dropped and he was sure his jaw did too. His heart skipped a beat as she took his right hand. Her skin was so soft that Bell didn't think he could survive another minute.

She turned her back and looked over her shoulder with a small smile.

"Let's have a date, Bell."

"… A d-date?!" He had thought that yesterday was sort of like a date but this was much more...real.

Bell had thought Ais was an airhead so her being this direct was causing his brain to short-circuit. The person he loved had asked him on a date.

"Yeah, let's go around the city to all the stuff."

"S-sure..., but what do you mean by a date?" As much as he didn't want to admit it, something seemed wrong with Ais asking him on a date.

"Well, isn't it when two people go outside together?"

Bell let out a sigh, he knew he couldn't be so lucky.

He was blushing madly but after clearing up the concept of a 'date' with Ais, he went on a regular 'outing' with her.

Her silklike fingers clamped down on his hand, and she led him straight into the crowded street.

The street vendors showed no signs of slowing down. They were selling several things, Meat on a stick; easy to carry, Bell supposed. Small souvenirs, key chains, accessories with Ganesha Familia's emblem or a monster on them were in one stall. There were also weapons, not the highest quality but still good hanging in one of the stalls.

Fireworks fired off from the stadium dotted the sky but they were barely audible over the noise on the street.

Aside from all the things happening, if one focused on Bell, they would see he was a wreck.

He couldn't take his eyes off Ais, his hand wouldn't relax and was damp with sweat.

It was strange to think, but he felt that she was acting more like she looked, going from vendor to vendor, her eyes felt to Bell as sparkling as she led him to different stands like a teenager. She was completely different than usual, he had gone past the Sword Princess and he was seeing Ais Wallenstein.

Bell's heart was beating fast and in a rhythm what had he gotten himself into?

She was so far above his league.

"Bell? Be-ll?"

"Y-yes? W-what is it?"

"Ahh—nn."

"… Huh?"

"Have a bite."

Bell swore if he died there on that day, he would be the happiest man on earth.

Ais was holding one of the Jagamarukun that she just bought up to his mouth with a small smile.

While she finally let go of his hand, she held the snack with both hands and tried to get him to open his mouth.

His arms flailed as he struggled to get words out, eyes locked on the confection now inches away.

"A-Ais, w-wait! There are people watching!" Sure enough, there had been several eyes fixed on the Sword Princess since he had joined up with them.

Holding hands had been embarrassing enough but eating her bitten food was too far, after all, it counted as an indirect kiss.

Ais, however, ignored Bell's protests and forcefully stuffed the Jagamarukun into his mouth, causing him to have to eat it, under many watchful eyes.

"There's something there." Ais said as she reached out to remove the stray bits of the potato snack on Bell's face.

Bell could tell that the girl was clearly enjoying herself as she rubbed her thumb on his mouth to remove the crumbs but he questioned whether he could last long enough.

"Seeing her smile should be enough for you to overcome any task!" A voice called out in his head sounding suspiciously like his grandfather but he couldn't argue with those words.

And in all of this, Bell heard one word, one word that made him see red, made him tighten his muscles in anger, he didn't know who had said it, probably someone passing by, but he was sure he heard the term "Pet" being directed at him.

"Let's go do something else!" I proclaim, a sudden burst of confidence firing his words.

"Alright, let's go."

Ais took his hand again and led him back down the street.

Bell took on a forced smile with his knuckles tightening, a single word running around in his head that he tried to ignore as he focused on the girl in front of him.

It felt nice to think that the Sword Princess could enjoy a normal day outside with him, to think that the girl he loved was happy because of him and she wanted to spend more time with him.

They weaved in and out of the many races of people flooding East Main.

He may have looked out of place with one of Orario's strongest adventurers, but at least Ais was happy, that mattered to him, a lot but there was a voice at the back of his head, a dark voice from deep inside him questioning, was it worth his dignity?

Breaking him out of his slightly bitter trance was a voice calling out to them.

Having spotted Ais and Bell together from afar, the three-member member group from earlier descended upon them.

"So, this is why you left us, to hang out with Bell instead." Tione said as she approached them and Tiona joined in from the side, making disapproving noises jokingly from her mouth.

"Holding hands now, are we?" Tiona said to tease Ais, the normally reserved and emotionless girl had found someone to connect to and that genuinely made her happy.

Lefiya, however, had a much different reaction to meeting the duo. Having locked onto Bell with her staff that she usually carried everywhere, she decided to let it loose.

"Proud warrior, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows. Tin..."

Hearing Lefiya's chant, the females moved to stop her while Bell, realizing what was about to happen, decided to do something he had gotten really good at.

He ran as fast as he could in a random direction as far away as he could from the elf.

* * *

Bell bent to his knees, out of breath at having run from wherever he had been to wherever he was now.

He was in a secluded section of the city in an alley.

Getting ready to head back to East Main, Bell went to move out but he was stopped by a sudden shadow suddenly swooping down in front of him.

"Ah!" Bell exclaimed, caught off-guard by the sudden figure.

"Relax." Replied a gruff, male voice, "I have something for you, here."

The figure was wearing a large black clock, making it impossible for Bell to identify who it was. The man reached into his cloak and pulled out a white book before throwing it at Bell's direction causing him to barely catch it.

"W-what?"

"You want to become stronger, don't you?"

"Y-yes!?"

"Then don't ask questions and just read it."

"Huh?"

Before Bell knew what happened, the figure disappeared as fast as he had shown up.

Looking over the book, the cover didn't have a title but a curious mind and a want to grow stronger all led to him opening the book.

Bell sat down on a sidestep and looked over the first page containing the book's title.

 ** _Mirror, Mirror: The Fairest Witch in the Land Is ME: An Autobiography (With Appendix: Awaken Your Magic!)_**

"Right off the bat, it sounds childish…"

Chapter 1: Modern Magic Even Goblins Can Understand!

"Teaching magic to goblins. No one should do that…"

Bell wanted to close the book right then, but decided to bear with it. A mysterious man had come to give it just to him, he couldn't have their good intentions go to waste. He forced his eyes across the characters on the page with all the endurance he could muster.

The top parts were painful, but the content actually wasn't that unpleasant to read.

Just like the words on the title page said, this book seemed to be about magic.

"Ooohhh!" Bell's eyes lit up with sudden, childish anticipation and he dove back into the pages.

There are two types of Magic: innate and acquired. As the term "innate" suggests, this type of magic can be used by various races based on genetics. From ancient times, these races have had the potential to become magic users within them and are trained in magic at a young age through rituals. While the types of magic they can use are rather limited, the strength and scale of these spells are often very high.

The book was written in Koine, the common language, so even he could understand it, with some effort.

There were some characters between the lines that he couldn't read but he decided to ignore them for now.

He turned to the next page.

Acquired magic refers to the possibility of Magic given to those people who receive "Falna," and appears on its own. With almost no restrictions, this kind of magic takes many different forms. The effect of the Magic depends heavily on excelia.

Bell began to realize that the strange markings were different from hieroglyphs, and different from any language of the races of people.

There was nothing in common between them, just a strange grouping of marks.

The passage…the sea of characters was pulling him in.

He turned to the next page.

Magic is interest. This is a vital factor for all acquired magic. What holds your interest—what do you accept, hate, want, grieve for, worship, swear to, long for? The trigger is already within you. Your Falna will carve your soul into a blazing sun.

A picture had appeared.

It was a head. It had eyes. It had a nose. It had a mouth. It had ears. It was a person's face.

A human face with closed eyes was drawn out in black. A picture made from the words of the passage.

He turned to the next page.

If you desire it, answer. If you desire it, break. If you desire it, focus! A terrible mirror of truth lies before you.

No. It was his face. His face, with nothing above the forehead.

No, it was a mask. It was another face of him. A him that he didn't know, another Bell.

He turned to the next page.

"Now, let's begin."

The eyes open. It spoke with his voice.

The ruby-red letters that spelt out the eyes shot right through him. Short passages that made up the small lips spin words.

He turned to the next page.

"What is magic to me?"

"I don't know. But it's something great and mysterious. A finishing move to slay monsters. A mysterious power used by heroes to come back from near death. Strong, fierce, merciless, overwhelming. What I've always wanted to have, just once. What I've been yearning for."

He turned to the next page.

"What is magic to me?"

"Power. Great power. A big weapon that will defeat my weak self. A grand weapon that will inspire my weak self. Not a noble shield to protect my allies, nor anything so elegant as a healing hand. A heroic power to clear away the obstacles in my path."

He turned to the next page.

"What kind of a thing is magic to me?"

"Thing?"

"What kind of thing?"

"Fire. Magic has to be fire. It's the first thing I think of when I hear the word "magic." Strong, ferocious, hot. Burn the plains, scatter the ash, scorch the air, envelop everything in waves of flame and heat haze, crimson tongues of flame nothing like my normal weakness. Hotter than anything else, never going out…immortal flame. I want to become flame."

"What do you seek in magic?"

"To become stronger, like her. To become faster, like her. Like light breaking through the lightning racing across the sky. More than anyone, more than anyone, more than anyone. Faster than anyone. Like her. To be in her sight. To be more. Be more to her. Be more than a pet."

"That's all?"

"If I can. If I can. If I can. I want to become a hero. I have always wanted to be a hero, and like a fool, I've pursued that dream. Just like the ones in the tales. A hero praised and loved by all. No matter how pathetic a fantasy, how vain and indignant, how miserably unsuited I am for it. I want to become enough of a hero for her to notice me. Notice me more than a pet."

"You're such a child."

"…Sorry. But that's me, too."

The Bell inside the book smiled.

Then everything went black.


	10. Burning Desire

**Late update sos. Also to the guy requesting Destiny stuff, I like your enthusiasm but have no idea what u talking bout boi.**

* * *

"Did he get it?" Freya asked the shadow that had swooped down below behind her in the alley.

"Yes," The masked man replied, "Though I'm afraid he fell unconscious after he gained the spell."

He had gotten quite a sense of satisfaction from the boy falling down, he hoped he could one day have the boy fall down forever.

"Not to worry Allen, he'll be awake when his test begins." The cloaked goddess told the masked adventurer.

"...I just don't understand what's so special about him that you're going to such lengths for him." The Level 6 Adventurer told his deity bitterly, the boy had completely enamoured her attention.

"I don't suppose you would, _I'm_ the goddess of beauty after all."

"But..." The cat person began only to be interrupted by the rising impatience of Freya.

"Alright Allen, you can leave now, it's about to begin."

"...Very well, best of luck my Goddess."

As the shadow disappeared into the darkness, Freya let out a sigh, she knew Allen meant well but he was very annoying when it came to matters of other men.

Shaking away the thought, she began making her way to the back entrance of the Colosseum.

* * *

A roar of applause swept through the crowd.

One of Ganesha Familia's tamers had just issued a command and a once-uncontrollable monster took a seat on the arena floor.

The Colosseum, located in eastern Orario, stood high above the surrounding buildings. Energy swirled within its walls, threatening to bubble out over the top.

"Gotta hand it to Ganesha's guys, that was amazing! That one made taming look simple. I could never pull that off."

"Very much so. The chances of successfully taming a monster are extremely slim, and yet he pulled it off in front of a large audience…"

"It's all part of the show. Not only did he tame the monster, but he also pulled off all those flashy moves at the same time to up the entertainment value. I'd pay to see something like this any day."

Tiona, Lefiya, and Tione had come to the Colosseum to see the main event of the Monsterphilia. Arriving early after leaving Ais to her search for Bell, the three girls had claimed very good seats in the stands. Thoroughly impressed by the best that Ganesha Familia had to offer, they talked among themselves and the crowd.

The very colourfully dressed tamer took a bow and was received by another round of enthusiastic applause. The tiger monster looked like nothing more than a well-trained house cat as the man guided it out of the arena. Once they were clear, the arena's eastern gate flung open to reveal a very masculine tamer and a dragon standing over seven meters tall.

"They caught something that big in the Dungeon and dragged it all the way up here?"

"Of course they didn't. They tracked one down outside the city. Most monsters born outside the Dungeon are much weaker, but dragons are always powerful."

The three girls had a great view of the arena from their seats, a couple of rows back from the front.

All of the applause was suddenly replaced by thousands of gasps in unison. "Uaahhh!" Tiona tilted her head to the side, squeezing one eye closed. Lefiya covered her ears and took in a deep breath.

"Wait, don't you think this is a little strange? Look at that creature. Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be the grand finale?"

Somehow the elf's voice was loud enough to be heard by her friends. Tiona straightened her head and blinked a few times before taking a closer look at the monster.

It was by far the most powerful and intimidating monster they'd seen today. The festival was scheduled to continue for a few more hours, so there was no reason for it to take the place of other monsters. The more Tiona thought about it, the stranger this timing seemed to her.

In that case, there was a reason for the organizers to change the order—as in the next monsters couldn't make it to the arena.

"Also…don't the Ganesha Familia adventurers look a bit anxious?"

"Ah, you noticed that, too?"

The Amazonian twins scanned the crowd. Sure enough, many people wearing Ganesha Familia's emblem were running in and out of a private box on the top lip of the Coliseum. Most likely, their god, Ganesha, was inside. Other members of the familia were working their way through the crowd, talking with anyone who looked strong. Their body language told the girls that they were asking for something.

Tiona and the others couldn't help but feel that something bad was going on. The anxiety on the Ganesha Familia members' faces was impossible to miss.

"What shall we do?"

"…We could go and ask?"

Tione answered Lefiya's question as she stood up from her seat.

The three girls squeezed their way past other people seated in their row and ran up the aisle to the exit.

* * *

"Where did he go?" Ais slightly muttered to herself in worry, the boy was new to the city and since she had never gotten the chance to properly show him around, he was going to be lost or worse.

As Ais wandered aimlessly, a shout was issued her way, signifying the presence of a red-haired goddess.

"Aizu!"

"Loki..."

"Aizu. wait up, been looking everywhere for you guys. Are the rest at the Colosseum?"

"Yes, they left some time before the event began to get good seats."

"Alright, by the way, watcha lookin' for anyway?"

A slight smile formed on Ais's lips and her voice softened.

"...A lost rabbit."

Loki took a deep breath at the girl's affectionate manner of addressing the boy. She would settle the score with Bell later, first, she needed to find him.

"Speaking of, where is Bell?"

At this, Ais's smile faltered and Loki could tell she was upset.

"Lefiya scared him off by nearly hitting him with a spell."

"...Alright."

As they talked amongst themselves for a minute or two more, a shout was issued their way.

"Ais!"

Tiona rushed forward towards the two while Tione and Lefiya were walking relatively quickly behind her.

"Heya girls..." Loki addressed the newcomers while Lefiya shrank back further at the intense gaze of Ais.

"Something's wrong." Tione voiced her concerns and told Loki and Ais about the happenings at The Colosseum.

"Loki Familia!" An elegant yet loud voice called out.

The group looked at the direction to see Eina hurrying towards them.

"Bell's advisor..."

"T-the monsters captured for the festivals, some of them escaped from the east gate, we don't have enough forces to contain the monsters. I beg of you, help us…"

Ais had no reason to refuse and neither did the rest of the group.

Ais took hold of the hilt of her sword and dashed toward the east gate in hopes of saving the lives of any citizen who got caught up in this mess.

Tiona and Tione didn't have any weapons but went with her, sticking to using their hands and legs for the matter.

Lefiya followed as fast as she could behind them.

* * *

Bell awoke to a scream.

"MONSTERRRRRRRRR!"

Shaking himself out of his drowsiness, he went to towards East Main to see what all the commotion was about.

The once peaceful street had erupted into an explosion of panic at that one word.

He saw a monster at the end of the street...rushing straight towards him.

The monster, the silverback, was enraged.

A storm within, muscles firing off at full strength, it breathed with enough force to blow everything out of its way. It wanted her, and it wanted her now.

It was looking for a goddess.

The last it saw of her silver hair was outside the stadium, disappearing into a crowd. The completely charmed monster rushed after her with more strength and power than it had ever had before, almost as though it was being pulled by an invisible chain.

Her love!

The goddess's affection!

The monster's purest, most basic instincts had taken over its body and driven it forward.

A monster's instincts didn't waver. Its quest for a goddess's love consumed it.

"Gaaaaahhhhhh!"

"Heeee!

The silverback advanced down the street, swatting carts and boxes out of its way.

A crying horse managed to get out of the way. The driver of its cart wasn't so lucky. He was launched skyward and tumbled to the ground. The horse wheeled the empty cart back around to its master as the silverback charged by.

It was losing the scent of the goddess. Her sweet aroma was gone. Had it made a wrong turn?

The silverback stopped for a moment and tried to find her scent again. It looked in every direction, taking in big huffs of air.

Many people filled the streets once again—people running, people in shock, people screaming at the top of their lungs. The silverback was enclosed in a circle of humanity.

The silverback's eyes skimmed the crowd before suddenly coming to a stop.

Its eyes had locked onto a point, a certain someone.

It saw "him" with bloodshot eyes.

A small boy with white hair and blank eyes staring right back at him.

A being who had the faint smell of the goddess he pursued, the goddess he loved.

A voice climbed into its ears:

"—Could you chase the small one?"

Those words whispering in its ear were hers.

One could almost hear the silverback saying "Found you!" by its facial expression.

The silverback took one big step toward the wide-eyed boy.

"—"

"A-ah..."

Bell didn't lose sight of the beast as he took two steps back.

Every hair on his body was standing up. He hadn't felt like this since he had faced the man-bull abomination.

A white body, silver hair running down its back. Its presence was overwhelming.

It had the eyes of a beast, no rhyme or reason. And it was looking right at him.

He couldn't breathe.

Why was there a monster here? What was happening?

'I've asked those questions before…'

He was facing something that shouldn't be there. It was the Minotaur all over again. He was sweating and shaking just as hard as the last time.

"—Do your best."

Where had that voice come from…? His ears were ringing from all the commotion.

"Ruguguu…!"

The sun was shining through all the flags on East Main. They looked so out of place in this chaos.

Bell felt like an island in the torrent of panicked screams.

Now that he had gotten a better look at the howling monster, he saw that it didn't have a tail. It was just a thick stripe of long silver hair on its back. Chains were still shackled to its wrists, but they looked like they were torn apart. Metal being dragged across stone—he hated that sound.

'Silverback…'

Eina has told him about many types of monsters. This is one of them for sure.

She also told him it's born far below the lower fifth—way out of his league.

It really was the same incident as the first floor all over again. He wouldn't be able to lay a finger on the thing.

Warning bells were going off in his head. It was time to go.

"Gyaa…!"

It was moving again.

It bent its knees, turning its body right toward Bell.

It was coming.

Realizing the close proximity of a giant fist to his face, Bell felt that now was a good time to move.

"!"

"Uwaaaa!"

He dove to the side, narrowingly missing the fist and causing his shoulder to crash into the stone road.

He had rolled to the side and the momentum of the monster's attack had caused it to fly by him.

"Urrrrnnnn…!"

It was instantly back up and coming his way.

Its eyes were fixed on him as he prepared another change.

Why?!

It hadn't even hesitated, just found him again and charged.

Jerking to the right, the beast instantly changed direction in mid-charge.

"He's locked onto me..."

It was now airborne.

"Oh shit."

Seeing the monster making a grab for him, Bell sidestepped as fast as he could.

Unfortunately, it sent an arm towards him.

"—Gwahhhh?!"

"Gugooooooo!"

The wrecking ball of an arm hit Bell square in the ribs.

Not wearing armour, the crushing blow coursed through his body as the punch sent him flying.

He couldn't breathe.

… Ah!

He flew through a food stall, shattering a hole in it on impact causing splinters of wood to spread all over the place.

The pain hit his body like an arrow piercing every part of his body.

Hurrying to get out, Bell slowly put his legs outside the stall and used his elbow to get up. He winced as his ribs ached.

"Ekkkkkkkk!"

East Main has fallen into pandemonium.

He could hear screaming and see people running away like blurs.

It reminded him of when he had once seen a spider egg sac hatch and he had so many spiders come out, all scurrying away. The fairgoers were all disappearing into buildings and down side roads.

There was a little girl, standing terrified at the sight of the monster with a small stuffed bear in hand, shaking uncontrollably while others paid her no mind as they ran for their lives.

"W-w-why isn't a-anyone h-helping her?"

"…!"

"Fhaa… haaa…!"

There she was, frozen in terror as the Silverback went to get rid of the nuisance before following its goddess's request.

She was cornered.

"Gh…! NOOOOO!"

A voice called for him inside his head, it was the Bell from the book.

"Fight Bell."

His arm shot up on its own, as though it was being guided by something. Ignoring the pain pulsing through his body and tears pouring out of his eyes, he yelled the word that had been engraved to his mind.

"Firebolt!"

A small blast of fire shot out of his hand and straight at the beast.

The flame recoiled and dissipated at the beast's metal suit but it did confuse it for a minute.

Ignoring his wonder at what had just happened, he ran for the chains dragging on the ground.

"Gahh!"

The metal pulls stretched as he grabbed the end, stopping the beast in its tracks.

The monster looked back with its sharp eyes and pulled its arm forward.

He couldn't hold it back any longer, his arms were numb and his fingers felt like they were on fire.

"Ugh…!"

"Gigyaaa!"

It wasn't even a contest, Bell might have not been pulling but he needed to try, with every ounce of his strength.

"Gyaaahhh!"

Its arm shot backwards, the chain flying over its head. Taking advantage of the situation with the Silverback's back to the girl, he ran and grabbed her hand, handing her to the woman who was looking worriedly at the scene from a distance instead of running.

Bell realized the beast was mostly after him but would go after others in his way so he needed to get out of Main Street where there were still people.

He dashed into the back roads as the Silverback reorientated itself.

Seeing the boy running away, the monster let out a loud howl and ran after him.

"Not another chase...why is it after me!? I have never seen it before, ever! I haven't done anything!"

Bell felt the presence of the monstrosity behind him, it was not giving up.

He could try fighting but his magic stat was that of a new adventurer and the Silverback was wearing a metal suit so his 'Firebolt' could not do anything as seen a minute ago and in physical combat, he had not gotten a status update in a while so hitting it was a lost cause.

He had never seen a monster act like this, it was as though it was being manipulated by something smarter. Bell couldn't understand what the hell was happening.

He sprinted through the back roads with all these thoughts running through his head.

The narrow, dark backstreets were doing nothing to calm his nerves. He could see the sky among the tall buildings around him, but there was no light down there.

He ran south from East Main where the Silverback attacked. He was running in circles in the side streets of East Main and Southeast Main and he couldn't remember the routes because of the situation.

He glanced behind himself but could not see the monster in the maze of dark streets, but he could definitely feel it. It was following him.

Bell ran as fast as he could through the streets turning in random directions to lose the Silverback only to be brought back to the moment by a problem.

He just rounded a big corner.

"—"

The narrow roads had ended, but a total mess stood before him.

The roads twisted, overlapping and intersecting who knows how many times. Pieces of buildings randomly stuck out into the street, stairwells snaked through the entire block. It looked like a mass of rooms got mixed together and dumped onto this spot.

It was a dungeon, built by human hands above the ground. A labyrinth town.

"Daidaros Street…!"

It was a dirt-poor residential part of town where nothing makes sense.

Bell had heard that the streets were so complicated that once you get lost in there, you'll never find your way out. Daidaros Street was named after the architect who designed this jungle. In terms of losing your way, it was very much a dungeon.

The artificial labyrinth spread out below him, all the way to the city wall. He stopped at the top of the road that leads down to the entrance.

Bell realized that if he went into the street, he would be fighting monster _and_ dungeon.

"GAAAAHHHHHH!"

"!"

As the monster neared him, he decided that he had no choice and went down.

The street became a wide stairwell. A dark brick jungle loomed ahead.

He rushed in and the thick, humid air weighed him down almost immediately.

Several shabby stone shacks litter the main entrance of the residential...labyrinth town. Many magic stone lamps dot the sides of houses, weakly spitting light onto the street. There were people out walking around above and below him. They look like they know their way around these impossible pathways.

Seeing the Silverback chasing the boy, the residents open their eyes wide in fear and begin running away.

"Guugaahhh!"

"…!"

It was catching up. How long could he keep this up?

Innocent people were getting caught up in the rampage because of him, he needed to get out of there into someplace secluded.

He took a quick turn off the main road, in a completely different direction. It went up at a steep angle, but it also had branches. He went into the closest turn, and again and again till he eventually lost count.

"Did I lose it?"

He kept changing direction. Maybe it took a wrong turn and got lost?

He took a look behind his shoulder and saw that it wasn't there, perhaps he could finally catch his breath.

"—"

Something didn't feel right.

Small vibrations were travelling through the walls. He could hear bricks cracking.

They were still a long way off but then a shadow suddenly caught Bell's eye.

"Son of a..."

He could see a blotch of white on top of a building in front of the sliver of blue sky. It was not a cloud.

It had climbed to the top. It had ignored the roads altogether and jumped from rooftop to rooftop like a wild animal swinging through trees, it was coming for him through the sky.

It dived straight down like a bullet.

"Gyaaaaahhhhh!"

"!"

"Ah!"

It was a sneak attack from above in hopes of crushing him.

It hit the ground with a bang, debris flying in its wake. Bell got out of the way but not before he got struck by a stray chain.

It was facing him now and Bell readied his nerves.

"Uhhhaaaooooooorrrrrrrr!"

The monster roared at Bell with the wind and spit hitting him square on the face.

"—Hyaiiii!"

It was an attempt to intimidate him, it had worked.

He couldn't move a muscle. Everything was clamped down. The beast's feral roar had done what it was supposed to:

Scare the absolute shit out of Bell.

"Ragyaaa!"

It wasn't fooling around, to him it felt like...the lower fifth, below another beast, roaring in his face. The Minotaur… standing over him, drooling.

He could still hear that mad cow's howl… He just wanted to curl up, make it all go away.

"—Uuhhmm… aaaahhh!"

He was standing at a fork in the road.

An enemy was in front of me. An enemy he not strong enough to cut. In the shadow of despair, the Minotaur. He wanted to run away.

But there was something at the back of his mind, something that wanted something else. To fight, to regain his pride.

'I'm scared—'

Something that wanted to prove it's worth, prove it's worth to the belittlement of a werewolf.

'I'm scared—'

Something that wanted to be a hero, something that wanted to be strong, something that wanted to reach the object of its desire.

Fear and desire. Cowardice and purpose. Instincts and emotion in opposition, united.

An undeniable impulse reaches out to a sense of obligation.

He was scared but, even in the face of all of this,

"—I'm a man, aren't I?!"

… even the smallest part of a man's resolve will not allow him to retreat.

'Go!'

'Go!'

'GO NOW!'

"YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

He wasn't going anywhere, the fear had been overridden by the adrenaline, he charged at the beast.

"Gyaahhhhh!"

It began moving to counter.

Its tree-trunk-size arm whipped forward, the chain still latched to its wrist like a whip. Bell's body twisted on instinct, dodging the blow. He thrusted his head down. Its sweeping right fist went just over his neck.

He drew his knife, he had gotten his chance.

There was a clear shot at the ribs under its arm. Bell thrust with everything he had.

"Uhaha?!"

But…

The blade wasn't enough, a minimal scratch was made at the area he had hit and it only served to enrage the beast.

The back of his throat began itching, he couldn't hurt it, his attacks were not strong enough.

Before he knew what was happening, Bell was in the air.

"Dahhh!"

The beast had grabbed him with both of its hulking hands and pinned him against the wall.

All the air left his lungs on impact and his eyes opened as wide as they could.

"Guruuuu…!"

The Silverback's malicious face was just inches away from his.

It bared its fangs before he could wrap his head around the situation. Its mouth was big enough to take his head off in one bite. Sheer terror re-entered his system.

Was it going to end like this?

'NO!'

Squirming his right hand free, he aimed it straight into the Beast's eyes.

"Firebolt!"

"GYIIGAAAAAAA!"

The Silverback roars in pain, letting Bell go to clutch its eyes. The monster staggered a few steps backwards before whipping the other way.

A stray chain hit Bell in the face before he fell to the street with a _thud._

His entire body was in pain, he couldn't move, it hurt to live.

A pain that he can't describe surged through him.

He was so weak.

Tiny, weak, feeble, delicate, soft, piece of trash, little punk, disgusting, nauseating.

Words of the night at the dinner table came back to haunt him, playing on a loop in his head.

He didn't deserve to stand beside her in the end, did he?

He was too weak then; He's too weak now. It was too painful to take.

"Are you going to let it stay that way?"

"Huh?"

It was the Bell from the book.

"Are you going to fight or are you going to stay miserably on the floor before you die?"

"It's too strong, I can't."

"Then maybe you deserve to die."

"What?"

"Your fear grips you so that you can't fight, you're a pathetic excuse for an adventurer."

The werewolf's words.

"I can't! I'm too weak, the magic you gave me is too weak, I can't!"

"Is this the person who wanted to be with Ais Wallenstein?"

Hearing her name, a spark reignited in his heart. His desire flooded him, the desire to be a hero, the desire to prove Bete wrong and the desire to be with the Level 5 adventurer.

"Help me."

"I'm here. Just fight."

"Uwwwwaaaarrrrrr!"

"!"

The Silverback had regained its composure

It howled in rage and the very walls of Daidaros street shook.

Bell stared it down.

Being the victor was a long shot. Bell himself wondered if he really had a chance.

However, if he didn't believe in himself, he could never be worthy.

He sprang forward with his blade, his other self's words filling him with determination and courage.

"—"

The silverback fell silent.

Bell had never moved this fast.

"Let the beast know the power of your desire."

There was a change in Bell's speed, it was nothing like before. The Silverback knew at that moment it wasn't fast enough to defend against a killing blow.

Eina's teachings rushed into his mind, he needed to get rid of the beast's armour.

Bell saw his target, a point on the monster's chest.

The beast charged forward, feet pounding the street. The silverback's arms lightly shook in the air. Bell used what time was left to line up his strike, his eyes focused on that one spot.

The divine knife blazed purple in his grip. Its newfound strength gathered into the tip of the blade and sent a beam of light into the heavens.

With one fell swoop, the monster's armour shattered as Bell spun around before landing.

"Let the flames of desire consume you Bell, use them to show this monster it is you who should be feared."

Instead of going in for the last move with his knife, he sheathed it.

He aimed his right hand at it and to stable his aim, he held it with his left.

Using every last drop of energy, Bell unleashed inferno.

"FIREBOLT!"

A blaze left Bell's hand, many times more powerful than his previous attempts, and lit up the street with fire.

As the fire cleared, there only remained one reminder of a once mighty beast. A magic stone falling to the ground.

Cheers erupted from all around. Apparently, the residents of Daidaros Street had been watching from a safe distance and the battle had moved them. People who had hidden in the shadows and behind windows now came out of the woodwork in droves, clapping and cheering at the top of their lungs. Even the stadium hadn't been as alive with glee as this corner of the labyrinth town.

A smile appeared on Bell's face in the middle of all the applause.

"Impressive." A voice said from the roof of a house overlooking the dead-end road.

Freya was talking to herself. She had been watching Bell from the best "seat" on Daidaros Street.

Her silver eyes locked onto Bell as drowned in cheers.

At first, she was disappointed that things hadn't gone as planned. But she smiled up at the blue sky.

"Congratulations. You still have a long way to go, but… Hee-hee, yes. You were very heroic."

Freya turned to leave, her silver hair sparkling in the sunlight.

"Let's play again, Bell."

* * *

"Guoooooooooo!?"

The troll was slain in one decisive blow.

"Nn, the end?"

"Yes…"

Ais withdrew her silver sword from the troll's body, flicked off the blood, and slid it cleanly back into its sheath in one smooth motion. She watched the monster fall to the pavement with a thunderous boom. Townsfolk instantly came out of their hiding places and surrounded Ais with cheers.

Loki stood behind Ais, supporting her head with her hand and looking bored out of her mind. A small "hmmm" escaped her lips.

"I'd say they didn' have their own rhythm. Looks like everybody's all right, no big problems… Feels like they were dancin' to someone else's beat."

Ais nodded to herself, agreeing with Loki's assessment.

They had rushed all over the East Block protecting the citizens. However, the monsters hadn't run away, just wandered around the city as if they were looking for something.

Ais couldn't shake the feeling that something had guided these monsters from above.

And to top it all off, those irregulars who had attacked in the middle of the confusion could definitely not be accidental.

"That all of 'em?"

"Not quite… There is still one left."

Out of the nine monsters that escaped, only the silverback remained unaccounted for.

That was a monster that Ais could slay in an instant. Loki was even less interested but started to run anyway. She wanted this monster hunt to be over already. Ais followed silently behind her.

They headed for East Main after talking with a few citizens who had seen the silverback from their hiding places.

"Ehhhh? What's this, over already?"

Rather than seeing scared faces and a rampaging monster, the townsfolk were celebrating in the street.

Loki went up to the edge of the crowd to get some information.

"Hey, lady! Where's the monster? What's goin' on?"

"Didn't you hear? That boy struck it down! Heard it from a few folks from Daidaros. They ran deep into that maze, and he slew it with one strike!"

"Hold up, lady. 'That' boy? Who's 'that' boy?"

"You mean you didn't see him run through here? A young adventurer with reddish eyes and white hair? Yeah… looked like a rabbit!"

"Huh?"

Both Ais and Loki jumped at the description.

The two of them had the same question, How had Bell defeated a silverback?

Loki, who knew about Bell's skills, still could not believe it. Her last status check on him, despite his rapid growth, left him nowhere near defeating a silverback.

A new wave of noise swept over the crowd. "That" adventurer had returned.

People in the crowd started cheering, pushing to get a better look. Loki ran into the swam, yelling, "Me, too! Me, too!" Ais went with her.

Bell approached the two when he saw them.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry for leaving, I...just..."

A sudden wave of weakness hit Bell, his world began spinning and he fell into Ais's arms as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Eh? Mind Down? Don' tell me the kid got magic now too?"

Indeed, the last show of Bell of his burning desire had spent up a lot of his energy.

Ignoring Loki's rant, Ais pulled Bell close and gently whispered to him though she knew he could not hear her.

"… Congrats."

* * *

 **Again, sorry. How about I make it up with a late Valentine chapter? Btw, Bell gaining a powerup was his second skill.**


	11. Chocolate (Valentine Special)

**Like I said in the previous chapter, as an apology for not updating, here's a late Valentine special. It's canon in the story, just out of place, k? I'm gonna make this short and sweet. Enjoy the double update.**

* * *

"Ais," Tiona called out at the girl sitting in the dining room.

It was early in the afternoon with most of the members of the familia out for either dungeon exploration or to enjoy the special day.

"Yes?" Ais replied, her weapon needed repairs so it was at the forge and she hadn't seen anyone since the morning so she was extremely bored.

"Have you seen Tione? She said she went to get some chocolate but I haven't seen her in a while."

"I think she went into the kitchen, chocolate for what?"

"It's Valentine's Day, duh, she probably went to make chocolate for Finn."

"Chocolate...for Finn?"

"Right, you're always in the dungeon near this time. Well, on Valentine's Day, people give chocolates to people they like as a...romantic gesture."

Seeing Ais's confused expression, Tiona let out a sigh.

"Basically, you get or make chocolate for people you like."

"I like you."

"Not...like that."

"I don't...understand."

"It's kinda hard to explain...let's go ask Tione."

Not wanting to be left out of this chocolate tradition, she went with Tiona to the kitchen.

* * *

Tione was hard at work in the kitchen, she had gotten high-quality cocoa from an importer and was trying to do her best to follow the recipe she had gotten for heart-shaped chocolate.

She was interrupted from her work by the door opening and her sister coming in followed by Ais.

"Hey Tione, making chocolate?"

"Yeah, nearly done. Just need to make them heart-shaped."

"Right, well, Ais wants you to explain Valentine to her."

Slightly caught off-guard, the older Hiryute sister looked questionably at her friend.

"Well, it's basically a day to celebrate romance. A person who makes you feel special, a person you want to be closest to, a person you want to spend time with. You give them chocolate to convey your feelings. Do you have a person like that?"

Ais thought for a minute thinking of a person who fit all those traits.

"Bell?"

"Eh?" Tiona looked back at Ais in surprise, she hadn't thought that was the reason she was asking.

A sudden red tint appeared on Ais's face as she avoided eye contact.

"W-what feelings are you trying to convey with the chocolate?"

A small smile appeared on Tione's face.

"Well, you give the chocolate to the person you want to accept your love."

"L-love!?" A flustered Ais asked.

"The captain doesn't accept my love right now but he never rejects the chocolates, and this year I made them hand-made. Maybe that will convince him..."

"Oooh, you should wear a cute outfit as well," Tiona suggested, her sister could perhaps charm the captain with a new dress.

"That's a good idea..."

"Teach me!" Ais suddenly blurted out from the side.

"What?" Tiona and Tione answered in unison.

"Teach me how to make chocolate and give it to someone."

A glint came into Tiona's eyes as her mind already contemplated a thousand different scenarios.

"Alright! First, a new batch of chocolates and then a new outfit!" Tiona yelled her intentions, Ais wondered if this was a good idea.

"I have a lot of cocoa beans left," Tione said as she grabbed them from their container and handed one to Ais.

"I know this place with great human clothes, they'll look so cute on you!"

It was a long afternoon.

* * *

Bell came home late in the afternoon, he was in a bad mood. It had been a horrible day in the dungeon, he had gotten a rare drop item but his bag had been torn and he had lost it and all his magic stones.

Letting out a loud sigh, he entered the Twilight Manor only to be met by Tiona waiting at the door for him.

"Bell, come here. Ais has something for you."

"Huh?" A confused Bell voiced as he was led to the back garden of the manor by the Amazon.

"Here, wait here and close your eyes," Tiona said in the middle of the garden as she went off.

Bell complied for a minute until he heard another voice telling him to open them now.

He had to force his body to breath again.

A redfaced Ais stood in front of him holding a heart-shaped chocolate box but it was what she was wearing that caught his eye.

She was wearing a white collar shirt that had a red bowtie on the neck with a light and dark brown griddle with a larger red bow attached to it around her stomach along with a white skirt which looked like a natural combination. Over this, she was wearing a green coat with a collar, cuffs and shoulders that matched the griddle. She was wearing stockings that reached till her lower thigh along with high brown boots.

Unable to speak, Bell just stared while Ais looked down embarrassed.

"I-I made you some chocolate...Happy Valentine's."

"W-w-what?"

"Tiona said that people make chocolates on this day for people they like."

"A-and the outfit?"

"Tiona said that it was cute...do you not like it?"

"N-no, it's beautiful, I mean, you're beautiful, I mean..."

Bell embarrassedly covered his red face with his hands while Ais let out a smile.

"Have some chocolate."

"Huh?"

Ais had removed a chocolate piece from the box and was having it make its way to his mouth.

"Ais, I...hrngh..."

Bell was interrupted by the heart entering his mouth.

"Do you like it?"

Bell quickly swallowed the sweet before replying.

"...Ais, really, it's great, thank you."

"Tiona said that chocolate was given to someone who you want to accept your feelings."

Bell's eyes went wide as Ais came leaned closer to him to whisper.

"Do you accept my feelings?"

Bell's entire mind went into overdrive as he suddenly began backing away.

"Bell?"

"I-I'm s-sorry Ais, I-I just remembered s-something important, I-I have to go, bye."

Ais was left pouting as Bell ran as fast as he could away from the situation.

* * *

 **Awww. For reference of Ais's outfit, see Sweet Princess Ais from Danmachi Memoria Freese.**


	12. Sorry (AN)

**Alright, alright, some of you may be upset from the lack of update for over 2 months. I can explainz. My exams and mock exams have been going on and since February I've been studying and stuff. The subjects I have to give an exam on are my literally worst subjects and I've been stressed lately.**

 **I apologise, my main examination starts from 29th April and after those are done, I'll be back as soon as I can. I'm really sorry guys but real life sucks. The next chapter is somewhat written and after my exams, I'll update as fast as I can.**

 **On a brighter note, I** **would like to thank you all for your continued support on the story. Having over 300 favourites means a lot to me, it may not be that high as compared to others but it really does mean a lot.**

 **I never thought this story would get any special interest as I had written it for myself as I just really wanted to write the idea in my head.**

 **Thank you all, really.**

 **Again, I apologise for the lack of updates. I'm sorry**


	13. Bell's weakness against women

**So apparently it's been some months since the last update. Here's another.**

 **Sorry about that, my laptop broke again and my phone couldn't stay on for more than 5 minutes. I finally got my laptop fixed tho and I'm back, yay.** **I think Fanfiction and Wattpad are blocked in my country now too, like, I've been trying to make them work for like some time and then decided to use a VPN to open them and voilà, it opened.**

 **About chapter 8, yeah, I accidentally replaced it with the Note, sos again for responding so late.**

 **While I was gone,** **I learned that apparently writing dialogue and then text and then dialogue is a thing that's allowed, like wut!?**

 **I also have 3 other stories ready to be uploaded after some editing. I get sidetracked often while writing this.**

* * *

Ais ate her modest breakfast of toast and jam in the dining room in relative silence as she tried to solve the current problem running through her head.

The events of yesterday had led to her borrowed rapier being destroyed and she needed money to pay for it. Lots of money.

Bell had been unconscious since yesterday from mind-down caused by overuse of his new apparent magic and as much as she wanted to take care of him, she knew he would be fine. The money was a more immediate issue.

"Hey Ais, got any plans for today?" Tiona asked from behind her stacked plate of food.

"I'm thinking of going to the dungeon. I need money."

"Oh cool, I'll come with you, I need to repay the debts of Urga too."

"C-can I come too? I don't need the money...b-but I wanna go with everyone." Lefiya said from where she was seated beside Ais.

"Yeah, sure."

"Tione, you wanna come too?" Tiona addressed her sister who was just about to finish her food.

"I'll pass, the captain needs me here after all."

"Well, we could always invite him."

Abandoning her half-eaten plate, Tiona went over to where Finn and Riveria were seated to extend the invitation.

"Hey guys, we were just heading to the dungeon, wanna come along?"

Finn looked up at Tiona with a smile, almost making the older Hiryute sister jealous.

"Yeah, alright. I'm free right now and it's been a while since we last went to the dungeon when weren't on an expedition."

"It'll be a good change of scenery as well," Riveria added as she set aside her utensils after finishing her meal.

"Alright, then get ready, we'll leave soon!" Tiona declared before she scampered off to get her stuff ready.

* * *

Lefiya looked into the mirror as she adjusted the large backpack she was wearing so that it was aligned perfectly with her body and made sure it was secured tightly, she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the others while she acted as their supporter.

"Ready, Lefiya?" Tione asked as she stuck her head in through the open door to the elf's room.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Okay, be at the front gate in five minutes."

"Alright."

Tione nodded before starting to make way to her own room to fetch her equipment.

On the way, she spotted Ais going upstairs with a wary expression and the girl couldn't help but ask.

"Hey Ais, where are you going!?"

Ais slightly flinched before regaining her composure and looking back towards the one who had spoken. She had gotten ready for the expedition and equipped her gear but a nagging feeling at the back of her head had caused her to head upstairs.

"Oh Tione, I'm going up to check on Bell before leaving..."

A slight smile appeared on the dark-skinned girl's face at seeing her friend's demeanour.

"Hmmm...alright، just don't do anything weird to him while he's unconscious."

Slightly taken back by the accusation, Ais could only make a slightly flustered expression as she looked at Tione in shock.

"I-I wasn't..."

"Haha, I know, just kidding."

Realising what had happened, Ais made a slight pout at being played while the Amazoness only looked back with a smirk.

"Anyway, I have to go now. Give Bell a goodbye kiss for me."

"Tione!"

"Joking, joking, bye."

Savouring the usually stoic swordswoman's embarrassed face, Tione made a dismissive hand gesture before going her way to her room.

After calming down, Ais continued upstairs to Loki's room where Bell had been brought because Loki had wanted to check his status and also have a talk with him after he awoke.

When she reached the room, she lightly knocked to see if anyone was inside. Hearing no reply, she lightly opened the door and saw that the only occupant of the room was lying still on the bed.

Ais carefully entered the room and closed the door behind her gently as not to wake the white-haired adventurer but unfortunately for her, he had already woken.

"...Ais?" Bell said as he groggily rubbed his eyes at seeing someone enter the room.

"You're awake? That's good." Ais commented as she sat near the bed on a stool besides it.

"Yeah, I just woke up." He replied as he rubbed the side of his head which was slightly hurting. "What happened though?"

"You don't remember? Yesterday, after you went off on your own."

Bell sat up on the bed as he sorted his thoughts to what had happend.

All Ais got in reply was an "Oh." as memories of the fight ran through Bell's head.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, no, I'm fine. I just remembered."

"You fought a silverback. With magic." Ais stated as she looked expectedly at the boy for an explanation.

Not sure how to proceed, Bell let out a sheepish laugh and simply confirmed it with a, "Yeah."

He honestly did want to tell Ais how he did it but he didn't know himself. Loki hadn't even been letting him see his updated stats.

Ais gave him a look before leaning in and adopting a more serious face, "You know, you grow really fast. Much faster than anyone else. How do you do it?"

A bit taken aback by the question, Bell tried to contemplate the question.

"Isn't it because I'm Level 1?"

Ais shook her head to deny his statement. "That's not what I'm talking about. What drives you? What makes you keep fighting? Why does it make you more stronger?" That's what had wanted to ask since yesterday.

Bell wanted to say something but was stopped in his tracks. He didn't even know how to reply. He was fighting because he wanted to be a hero? He was fighting so that he could be worthy of her? Both were equally embarrassing replies.

"I... don't know."

Seeing Bell's face, Ais let out a sigh and pulled back. She didn't know why she was acting this way. Was she jealous of his growth?

"...nevermind, forget it."

"Are...you going to the dungeon?" Bell asked, noticing that Ais was in her misshaped armour.

"Yes. I need money to repay the debts on my sword. I'll probably be gone a few days."

"Oh." Bell said while nodding, he had just realised how Loki had just practically given such an expensive weapon for free only to him and wondered why. He was also a bit sad from Ais leaving but she had a job to do and so did he.

"I have to get going now." Ais said as she started getting up from the stool to leave.

"Hm, yeah..bye." Bell replied, a little disheartened at her leaving.

Noticing Bell's mood change at her leaving, Ais hesitated and stood still for a moment.

"Hmm?" Bell voiced out inquisitively at the sudden stop.

Ais slowly reached her hand out and put it on Bell's head before hesitantly and awkwardly starting to pat it.

"There, there..."

"..."

"I'll be back soon."

"..."

"Well, I have to go now, bye." Ais said as she pulled back her hand and turned to leave the room.

"..."

Bell could feel his eye twitching as he looked at the leaving figure of the girl.

Hearing the door _click_ shut, it didn't take long for hollow laughter to begin echoing through the room.

Bell couldn't believe that he had honestly thought that yesterday was something special, it was like taking one step forward and three backwards. His status firmly remained as that of a pet.

He was pulled away from his despair by the sounds of footsteps.

"Oh hey, yer awake," Loki said as she entered opened the door to see Bell sitting on the bed in misery.

"Yeah..."

"What's got ya all down? You got magic yesterday. Any adventurer worth their money would be as chirpy as a bird at that for a whole week at least, ya know."

"I guess..."

"By the way," Loki said as she suddenly closed in on Bell and gave him a glare, not unlike Ais a few minutes ago, "What the hell happened yesterday!?"

"Huh!?" Bell was suddenly snapped out of his daze and forced to focus by the hostile aura emitting from Loki.

"Ya heard me, rabbit. Explain to me how you got magic in the span of an hour after you ditched me and defeated a silverback with the same magic."

"Um, well..."

* * *

Loki's hands twitched repeatedly, desperately wanting to wrap themselves around Bell's neck.

"So, you just accepted a grimoire from a random masked stranger?"

"...I didn't know it was a grimoire."

"..."

"Hehe..."

Loki collected her thoughts as she ignored the sheepish face of the boy in front of her.

He had obviously been able to defeat the silverback because of his 'Stultum Desiderio' which boosted stats and made up for his magic being at 0. The skill was as strong as his 'Desire' which was probably pretty high from having been with her before the incident occurred.

Did that mean before a battle all she had to do was rub Ais against Bell and throw him in and he'd be able to kill everything? Obviously, it wasn't that simple and levels factored in but an enemy with a smaller power-gap could be defeated this way.

Loki held her head in her hands in frustration at the broken adventurer sitting on the bed. But she was also happy. Such a strong member would surely make her familia surpass Freya's. The divine knife was a worthwhile purchase though no matter how much the other members with debt would complain about it.

"Um Goddess, about my status..."

"Already updated while you were asleep. Your magic is called 'Firebolt', it's chant-less, though you probably already know since you used it. That's all you need to know." Loki ended her sentence matter-of-factly.

Noticing Loki's mood, Bell couldn't help but feel guilty as he was the cause of it. Loki had been trying her best to take care of him, even buying him a ridiculously expensive knife but he had just been causing her trouble.

Fearing that she might as well take it back, an idea came upon the white-haired adventurer as he remembered something he saw in a shop in passing.

"Goddess, let me make it up to you!"

"Wha..?" Loki was pulled from her thoughts by Bell suddenly energetically shouting.

"Come with me, I'll show you something you'll definitely be interested in!" Bell said as he proceeded to drag Loki out of her room.

* * *

Are you sure this works?" Loki asked the chienthrope seated at the counter of the Blue Pharmacy, looking sceptically at the glass vial in her hand while Bell eyed the transaction nervously.

"One hundred per cent. This is a trademark product of the pharmacy endorsed by the Goddess Hestia."

"Aha! So this is why they're so big! Miach probably made this for her in Tenki!"

"It is to be rubbed thoroughly every day and visible results will show in just 4 weeks."

"Ahahaha! Maybe I was wrong about you Bell. You're a good kid after all."

Practically glowing with happiness, Loki slid out of the shop with 15000 valis less to her name, 3 vials in hand.

"...they do work, right?" Bell asked Naaza after seeing that there was no chance for Loki to hear them.

All he got in reply was a bored shrug.

"Alright...well, thanks."

"No, I should be thanking you Bell, you helped me make good business today. Now Lord Miach won't have to go to bed hungry because you haven't been buying things lately."

"I, ah, um….I'll be sure to swing by weekly to restock potions!"

"Lord Miach will just need to survive through some hungry days now…"

"I'll visit daily to buy something!"

A small smile appeared on the pharmacist's face, she had him right where she wanted him.

"Alright Bell, love you."

Red immediately rushed to his face as he hastened out of the shop as fast as he could.

"A-ah, um, I love you to…..I mean…..err, I'll see you later, bye!"

Naaza watched the retreating for the figure of the boy with amusement.

"He's so easy."

* * *

Stopping by The Hostess of Fertility, Bell went in to get a quick breakfast before heading to the dungeon.

"You're okay!?" Syr suddenly jumped him when he entered the pub causing Bell to jump back in surprise. It was like she had been waiting for him.

"Ah! Oh, Syr. You heard what happened yesterday?" Bell asked while trying to regain his composure.

"Not just heard, I saw the whole thing! You were so cool!" Syr praised with a smile too wide to be natural.

Feeling light-headed from being praised by a cute girl, Bell instantly let his guard down and took it all in.

"You know, you only became an adventurer recently but you were able to take down a silverback with magic! You're so strong." Syr said, inflating his ego.

"Haha, yeah."

"You body must be exhausted from that fight yesterday, how about sitting down and getting some food?"

The bait had been set.

"Ah, sure," Bell said as he sat down at the counter which had Mia busily moving behind it, getting everything ready.

A successful catch.

"Mama Mia, get Bell here all the specials! He fought really hard yesterday, he deserves a treat!" Syr shouted from beside him, her true nature revealed.

"Haha, sure! We just opened up and you're our first customer so it's gonna take a minute. Have some of our appetizers."

"Oh great! He'll take the fruit punch drink as well to start off with."

"..."

All Bell could do was curse his luck as Ryuu gave him a sympathetic look from the side while she was sweeping the floor.

Today just wasn't his day.

* * *

Bell stared at the lunchbox in his hands for a good minute outside The Hostess of Fertility as he tried to resist the urge to vomit from the thought of food after being forcibly stuffed by Mia.

After having practically robbed him, Syr had still had the audacity to give him a lunchbox to ensure his future visit to the bar.

Not wanting to be rude and after being guilt-tripped, he had taken it and now he was wondering if it would also be rude if he dumped the contents inside the dungeon.

Leaving this decision for later, Bell put the lunch in his newly bought large pouch and made his way to the entrance of the dungeon, the tower of Babel.

He stopped outside the tower where numerous adventurers were gathered and did a last-minute check of his equipment to see if he had everything.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Adventurer!"

A small voice interrupted his thoughts causing him to look around to find the origin of the voice but to no avail.

"Down here!"

Bell looked down in front of him to see a small girl dressed in a rather battered white and red cloak wearing a backpack that was about twice her own size.

"Oh, aren't you the Pallum girl that was being chased in the alley?"

"I think Mr. Adventurer is mistaking Lili for someone else. Lili is a werewolf." The girl stated as she pulled off her hood to reveal two sets of furry ears.

Bell looked closely at the figure in front of her to try to figure out what was happening. The girl's entire figure including her hair matched what he had seen that day, the only difference was the newly formed pair of ears on top of her head.

'It's probably a skill or something.' Bell concluded after thinking for a moment, she _was_ being chased so it was reasonable to want to change your appearance.

"How can I help you, Lili?"

"Well, it's simple, you are wearing bags so you don't have a supporter with you, right? Lili would like to offer her services as a supporter to lone Mr. Adventurer."

"That's actually perfect! I was actually thinking about looking for a supporter! I always have to leave loot behind in the dungeon because I can't hold it all."

Hearing that, Lili's eyes shone with something that Bell assumed was enthusiasm.

"Very well, Lili will work with Mr. Adventurer for a trial period for a day. If Mr. Adventurer likes the service then you can continue working with Lili!"

"Alright! But can you stop calling me Mr. Adventurer? It's a little weird. My name is Bell Cranel."

"Liliruca Arde, but everyone says Lili."

"Alright Lili, then, are you ready to go right now?"

"Lili is always ready!"

"Haha, alright, let's go."

* * *

 **Done and sorry for the late update and this chapter not being particularly exciting. I do have a lot of stuff planned later on, let's hope I can actually update it without waiting months.**


	14. Brains and Brawn

**You know, I saw my old FF.N reviews I posted. Someone kill me. I would like to apologize to whoever had to read those, I'd really delete them if I was able to.**

 **To the one person who noticed that Lili was a werewolf instead of a chientrope like in the original story, that's just because it's easier for me. It doesn't really matter for Lili's skill and has the same effect. (If someone knows whether it's pallum or prum, do tell me please.)**

 **About the scheduling of this story and Retry, I'll have to put Retry off for a while because it was supposed to be a larger project, 10k or more words per chapter but I don't have the time now so it'll be random.**

 **The last thing, I did not drop this story, if I did, I would've said something so stop. If no one wants to adopt 'Is it wrong to want an education in a dungeon?' then I guess I'll pick that back up as well. It just takes time to write and real life is also quite a bitch sometimes, like, I had 90% of this written by August, I wanted to post this on the story's 1 year anniversary but so many things happened with the most prominent being an arm and finger injury. Random writer's block was the other reason for not being able to write the last part as well. Praise Lord Beta FirstTimeStoryTeller for helping complete the last scene.**

* * *

"Haaa!" Bell took a deep breath as he rested against the entrance of the seventh floor of the dungeon after having made his way down here with his newly found, albeit slightly suspicious supporter. They had rushed through every monster they encountered so that they could focus on getting the loot of stronger monsters deeper in the dungeon.

"Master Bell, that was amazing!" Lili said enthusiastically from beside him. "I didn't really believe you when you said you could clear the monsters by yourself but we got here in half the time it would have taken a full-fledged party of Level 1 adventurers to reach here!"

"Oh no, it was mostly thanks to you that we got here so quickly. I didn't need to stop to pick up loot or have to adjust for space in my backpack for different items." Bell commented, silently praising the decision of hiring a supporter.

"Master Bell is too modest! I bet that Master Bell will grow to be very powerful!"

Trying not to let his ego massively inflate under the enthusiasm and flattery of the little werewolf, Bell decided to ask about something else.

"So, you're pretty experienced, huh Lili? Have long have you been working as a supporter for?"

"Yes, Lili has been a supporter in the Soma Familiar ever since she was a child," Lili said with a cold tone, losing her previous cheerful demeanour before quickly recomposing herself.

'Touchy topic, ok then.' Bell noted to himself, the change in the supporter being pretty obvious.

"How long has Master Bell been an adventurer?" Lili asked in an attempt to shift the topic to Bell.

"Oh, a few days."

Lili stared at Bell dumbfounded for a second before beginning to laugh, "Aha, that was a good joke Master Bell, I almost believed you."

"...um, I really did start just a few days ago. You can ask my guild advisor if you want. Though I joined the Loki Familia about a month ago."

"Loki Familia!? But then why were you going alone to the dungeon instead of forming a party? Master Bell doesn't really look like the lone wolf type." Lili questioned, still sceptical about Bell's claims.

"Ahaha, none of the lower level adventurers in the familia really talk to me... or I think like me." Bell muttered the last part under his breath, sheepishly smiling at Lili who was looking at him confused.

"Ahem, anyway, are you hungry?" Bell asked as he reached towards the pouch he had equipped on his waist for easy access to equipment and pulled out the lunchbox that Syr had given him before opening it and handing it to Lili.

"Wha...?"

"You must be tired, here, I'm pretty full but you look like you could use a few pounds," Bell said with a small smile as he sat back, trying to see if his attempt at making a joke had worked.

Lili eyed him suspiciously which caused some of his grandfather's work to go through his head, "Weight and age are a touchy topic for women Bell, always try to downplay them despite the other's actual numbers. Ladies love it!"

Realizing he had just disregarded one of his grandfather's profound words of wisdom, Bell looked at Lili expecting her to be angry but his thoughts were interrupted by Lili.

"T-thank you."

Noticing Lili's flustered looks, Bell discarded his thoughts and gave her a smile before replying, "No problem."

After Lili was done eating, she gave the lunchbox back to Bell who pocketed it as they both got up to continue further into the dungeon.

* * *

Eina had been having a rather pleasant day, she had filed in all the paperwork for the week early, had been praised by her superiors and had planned an outing with Misha at the end of the week. That was until she saw the face of the adventurer that she was supervising accompanied by a pallum-like supporter telling her that he had gone beyond the 7th floor.

"E-Eina? Is something wrong?" Bell voiced out concern when he saw the half-elf shaking behind the counter.

The guild worker let out a chuckle before calming herself down and speaking to him in a rather threatening voice.

"Oh no, nothing. But Bell, I want to have a little talk with you after this, so doooo come see me when you're free."

Lili looked between the two in confusion as Bell let out an audible gulp, resolving himself on what would occur in their "talk". Instead, he tried to focus on the bright side, by which he meant the absolutely dazzling amount of valis in the pouch they had got after exchanging their magic stones and other monster drops after going to the exchange counter.

"We're rich!" Bell exclaimed, nearly jumping from joy in his wooden seat outside the guild.

"Master Bell gets excited too easily, but...50,000 valis in a day is a big amount for Low Class Adventurers. A party of 5 Level 1s can only make half of this in a day!"

"I know! Do you have another bag or sack? I'll put your 25,000 in there."

"H-half!?" Lili asked while looking at Bell as if she was looking at a maniac.

"Yes?" Bell replied, not losing the smile etched onto his face from earning a large amount of money.

"You aren't going to take all of it!? Or just give me a few hundred valis!?"

At the sudden surprised shout from the girl, the various adventurers entering the guild at this time turned to look towards them, causing Bell to shift uncomfortably.

"W-what!? Of course not! Here, take it!"

Even after she had received her share of the money and Bell had gone back inside the guild to have his "talk", Lili still couldn't believe that he had legitimately given her half of the money. She had encountered something she really couldn't understand.

"Well, if this keeps up, I could finally get the money to leave the familia." Lili sighed to herself before packing up and heading off to the shabby inn she stayed at.

Unbeknownst to her, a pair of keen eyes were watching her closely and followed behind, soon being joined by two more.

* * *

"Man, Eina really let loose..." Bell muttered as he weakly walked through the dimly lit road that led towards the Twilight Manor.

She had lectured him till his ears turned red, reminding him over and over again of how dangerous it was for rookie adventurers like him to go so low inside the dungeon so early. Apparently, some adventurers spend their entire lives not getting past the beginning floors, which Bell found ludicrous. So, it really wasn't Eina's fault that she had thought that Bell was doing in a few days what some people couldn't do their entire lives.

Of course, Bell's goal to get stronger faster would not allow him to follow the lead of the masses but Eina was heavily emphasizing the fact that going down the dungeon in his current state would result in death despite Bell explaining how easy it had been. It was either that she was being overly protective or his stats were really growing fast.

He was wanted to get stronger but was Eina's guilt-tripping had led him to be conflicted with his feelings about whether she was right or not. She was the guild advisor after all, not him.

'I'll ask Lady Loki about my stats so I can ensure her I'm up to it.' Bell thought as he stopped for a second to rest for a minute.

"Why is the manor so far away from Babel..." Bell muttered as he stared up at the full moon brightly shining in the dark sky. The distance between the manor and the dungeon was a rather straightforward path but the Hostess of Fertility was located on a completely other direction alongside the Blue Pharmacy. Of course, he knew the answer to that and the distance wasn't much to someone who had been blessed with a falna, it was just that sitting on a wooden stool being yelled at for an hour or two would tire anyone out.

There really wasn't a place for a manor inside the main city, so it was located at the utmost outskirts of Orario near the wall. Of course, that wasn't the only reason. When the familia had just been starting out in Orario, the land had been sold rather cheaply as it was situated in a rather secluded spot and since most familias liked boasting about their wealth and showing off, it was not a suitable place for them to build a base.

Since the Twilight Mansion was built in phases as the familia grew stronger, it was actually a perfect place for expansion without worrying about limited land. Now it was considered as the Loki Familia boasting their wealth and fame, which, in fairness, wasn't fully true. The familia had an incredible member count which would probably take a day or two to fully go through with no breaks. The constant expansions had not been without reasons, different rooms were built for different ranking members and so on.

Coincidently, Freya Familia resided directly opposite of the Loki Familia at the other end of Orario. That was a place that Bell that was on Bell's 'if possible, never visit' list.

Seeing the gates of the Twilight Manor in sight, Bell cheered up and made the final push to the door. Only to be greeted by the worst sight possible.

Lo and behold, there stood Bete outside the main door of the manor, leaning against the wall with a disgruntled look on his face which changed into a condescending sneer when he saw Bell.

Bell had been actively trying to avoid Bete whenever he could but unfortunately, his luck had run out.

"I was wondering if I heard wrong, but looks like Finn really did let you join."

A deep ball of despair settled in the pit of Bell's stomach as he stared at the High-Class Adventurer in front of him.

* * *

Bete had always had his own sense of pride as someone who was stronger than others. He didn't hate those weaker than him because they were weak, no, every adventurer had started from the very bottom at some point. The people he truly hated were those who willingly chose the path of an adventurer but still lacked the determination to grow stronger. Constantly cowering before those mightier than you, shrinking in the face of adversity, this is what defined 'weakness' in Bete's eyes.

"Tsk..!"

After Ais rejected him he had been furious to the point of throwing himself into the dungeon daily. So, when he had heard that someone he classified as a weakling, in every meaning of the word, had joined the same familia and then had the nerve to try to woo the person that he himself could not… his temper flaring out of control was the obvious result.

When the boy spotted him, he was frozen in place, probably too scared to move. 'Pathetic' was the word that came to Bete's mind when he saw the rabbit-like adventurer rooted to his spot.

"Ya know, there are a lot of weaklings in the familia, but I think you're the new worst."

"Umm… sorry, but I have to go..." Bell mumbled as he tried to avoid the werewolf and get inside the manor, only to be stopped by an outstretched arm.

"Now hold on, leaving so soon? I heard you've been trying to get with Ais? Well, you're a million years too early if you think you can win that race, kid."

"..." Bell looked towards the guards at the gate for help but even they didn't want to face Bete so all they could do was turn the other way.

"What? Did I hit the bullseye? Can't say anything back?"

"..."

"Heh, I'm not surprised. You really are an embarrassment you know that? Everytime I think back to that Minotaur, it still cracks me up!"

"T-that was your fault, w-wasn't it!"

"Ohoh, finally decided to speak up, did you? Well then, even if it was my fault, what are you gonna do about it? Whine and cry some more?"

"S-stop it! I'm still growing so stop e-expecting me to be strong like you!" Bete could see frustrated tears begin to form as the boy grit his teeth in anger…

Perfect.

He had already read the boy's files, both public and the more… private ones. Meaning, he knew where to hit.

"What are you an idiot..? I'm not expecting you to be equal to me, I'm expecting a man to have some balls attached to them, something you lack in spades."

"..."

"You lived with your grandfather, right?...Actually, I'm going to let you in on something… I bet your parents must've been disgusted by how sorry you turned out to be. That's why the second your head popped out they dropped you and ra-"

Bete was interrupted in his rant by a knife being directed towards him, which he easily dodged, of course.

"Is that how you wanna do it? Fine then!"

Bete countered with a hard kick to Bell's stomach, sending him flying backwards and leaving him groaning in pain on the ground.

The guards tried to intervene but a warning from Bete stopped them in their tracks. He was an executive after all. Instead, one of them quietly slipped inside the manor.

"Was that all you had little rabbit?"

"Shut up!" Bell said, getting up and charging at Bete with his knife again.

"You think that'll work!?" Bete said while kicking Bell to the ground again.

"Do you seriously plan to defeat me like that..? You're not just weak but you're also an idiot!" Bete spat while slowly approaching the boy crumpled on the floor.

"Honestly I think she just pities you, that's why Ais even botheres talking to you in the first place. She knows that you'll never be more than a weakli-"

"SHUT UP!" Bete's senses screamed danger but it was too late, Bell thrust the Divine Knife in his hand with all his might at the werewolf, his falna igniting with an azure glow as it mirrored the runes etched across the blade.

Bete's eyes widened at the sudden energy wave that slammed into him, launching his body into the manor behind.

When Gareth, Loki and some more accompanying familia members came outside to check on the fight, they saw a battered, but unconscious, Bell and a confused Bete slowly got out from a hole in the wall.

"What. The. Hell."


End file.
